Hillsborough County football will be losing a coaching juggernaut this week. Plant High School Coach Robert Weiner is leaving to become the Wide Receiver Coach at USF. This is a bold hire for Bull’s coach Willie Taggart and should bolster USF’s recruiting momentum in the Bay Area.
Weiner took over a struggling Panthers program in 2004 and quickly turned it into a driving force in high school football. Since 2005 Plant has won 8 straight District Championships and 4 State Championships. Weiner’s overall record during that span was 102-19; hence, Plant won 84% of the games played under his tutelage. Weiner’s players excelled both on and off the field and Plant’s football team has achieved the highest cumulative GPA in Hillsborough County every year since 2008.
Plant won their first State Championship under Weiner in 2006 behind the arm of Robert Marve. The Panthers were able to upset defending State Champion Nease High School 25-21 in a nail-biter. A touchdown pass from Marve (Miami/Purdue) to Derek Winter (Auburn) with 17 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter put the Panthers ahead for the win. Also in the game, Marve broke the record for completions, attempts, yards, and touchdowns (48) in a season, a record previously held by former Nease High School QB Tim Tebow. Weiner’s spread offense would continue to break numerous records throughout his time at Plant. Four of the five starting quarterbacks Plant has used since Weiner’s arrival have guided the Panthers to State Championships and all 5 quarterbacks have played college football. Weiner also produced his first NFL player last year when former plant star tight-end Orson Charles was selected in the 4th round by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Coach Robert Weiner has helped shape Hillsborough County Football into the powerhouse it is today. If his success transfers to the college level the University of South Florida has made a fabulous hire. It will definitely be interesting to see if Weiner can leave his mark on the next level. Unfortunately, for Tampa Bay area high school football fans this marks an end of an era.
Weiner’s Record at Plant
2004 3-7
2005 9-3 District Champion
2006 15-0 District Champion-State Champion
2007 11-2 District Champion
2008 14-1 District Champion- State Champion
2009 13-1 District Champion- State Champion
2010 12-3 District Champion- State Runner-Up
2011 15-0 District Champions, State Champion (forfeit win v Armwood)
2012 10-2 HC Robert Weiner District Champion
– Anthony Peace