news

Dover High School AD Peter Wotton is retiring after 28 years

VaselineJune 21, 2024

5 4 minutes read

Dover High School AD Peter Wotton is retiring after 28 years

Al Pike
| Specially for Foster

DOVER — This job isn’t for everyone. It requires a significant time commitment, routinely involving 12 hours a day and 60 to 70 hour work weeks.

“That’s pretty much the norm,” said Peter Wotton, longtime director of athletics and physical education at Dover High School. “I think most people will tell you that. Nights and weekends are not always yours. Sometimes your holiday is not yours. I think this is school board in general. That is quite normal for the life of an AD.”

It is the life Wotton led for the past 28 years until his recent retirement.

“It was a family decision,” he said. “I know this is the right decision, but it wasn’t easy. I was on the letter for several months. I went back and forth from time to time before saying, “It’s long enough.” Some people in my family need more attention than I have been able to give.”

Wotton, who started his career at Dover in 1996 and turns 59 in July, is adjusting to his new normal.

“After I (retired) I thought about it and wondered if it was the right thing, but I’m coming to terms with it now,” he said. “I’ll see how August 1 feels. I’m trying to get to grips with the whole concept of not regularly working 60 or 70 hours a week.”

Wotton and Dover High Principal Peter Driscoll were colleagues for more than a decade.

“What stands out to me first and foremost is his incredible dedication to his work,” Driscoll said. “He was in JV football and varsity hockey. He went to everything.”

Former Campbell High AD replacing Wotton

Dover recently hired Josh Knight as Wotton’s successor. Knight spent the past five years at Campbell High School in Litchfield, where the AD was, and also coached boys lacrosse and taught physical education.

Previously, he was a high school AD in New York City. A native of Saratoga Springs, New York, Knight graduated from Syracuse University, where he played lacrosse and was a member of back-to-back national championship teams in 2008 and 2009.

Knight’s term officially begins July 1.

Growth of athletics in Dover during Wotton’s tenure

One of the athletic advances the city made under Wotton’s watch was the addition of more girls’ sports teams, including gymnastics, volleyball and lacrosse. He is also a strong supporter of Dover’s unified sports program.

“I think we expanded the athletic program quite a bit, giving kids more opportunities,” he said. “We started some girls’ sports. I think we’ve grown in different ways. I think that might be the most satisfying thing besides all the friends I’ve made, and I’ve made a lot. That made it difficult to present my (resignation) letter to the chief inspector, that’s for sure.”

Wotton served as ambassador for the entire district.

“He’s just great with people,” Driscoll said. “He has a calm, professional attitude. People feel very comfortable with him. He connects with everyone.”

Future of fields in Dover: Students and residents debate grass versus grass

Wotton doesn’t necessarily judge team or individual success by records, playoff appearances or state titles. When asked how many championships Green Wave had won in his 28 years, he said he didn’t know.

“We’ve had our share, but that’s not how I measure things,” Wotton said. “I like to think we tried to do things the right way. We didn’t always get it right, but we tried, and I think that’s more satisfying than raising a banner.”

In fact, one of his most memorable teams was a boys soccer team that went 0-16.

“They stand out because they are great people,” Wotton said. “We’ve had some championship teams that have been fun. They covered the whole spectrum, including my daughter’s team.”

That would be Molly Wotton, who led the Green Wave varsity to the 2013 Division I title and went on to play Division I volleyball at the University of New Hampshire.

Wotton proves Spaulding’s football coach wrong

Ironically, Peter Wotton graduated from Spaulding High School, Dover’s main rival, in 1983 with hockey and football.

“(Longtime Spaulding AD and coach) Hugo Bolin told me I would be done in five years,” Wotton said with a laugh. “I see him pretty much every year and he says, ‘You proved me wrong.’ That’s hard to get out of Coach Bolin.”

Wotton started his career after graduating from UNH

Wotton graduated from UNH in 1987, where he played Division I hockey for the Wildcats and was a teammate of future Boston Bruin Peter Douris, who is currently the boys’ varsity hockey coach at York (Maine) High School.

Wotton, a recent graduate, taught PE for several years at the elementary school level in Rochester and also did some coaching, most notably varsity hockey at Somersworth. Although the Hilltoppers had some talented teams at the time, Wotton remembers with fondness a team that finished 0-17-1.

“We practiced at 5 in the morning,” he said. “I would usually arrive at the arena at 3:30 and the parking lot would be virtually full of kids waiting to get into the rink. They had a good view of things. They have taught me an awful lot. Championships can be the byproduct of doing things well, but that is not always the benchmark.”

Wotton tried to attend as many events as he could as Dover’s AD to support the student-athletes and their families.

“I think that’s very important,” he said. “I like to think that the Dover community often gets it right. We are not the high-flying, hanging banners two-three, four-five per season. We are a kind of middle school, which is perfect for many people.”

Wotton is known for treating everyone with the utmost respect.

“Peter is so stylish,” Driscoll said. “When you come to Dover, you experience an environment where you think, ‘We want to go back there.’ They’re doing well.’ He greeted a JV hockey team as the visitors got off their bus. That’s just who he is.”

What lies ahead for Wotton?

Although unsure of what the future holds, Wotton does not see a return as an athletics director.

“I think this is probably it,” he said. “No Tom Brady tours, I guess. I’ll do something else; I just don’t know what that is now. I have a lot of friends around the Dover athletic program and a lot of kids that I will miss.

Wotton leaves without regret.

“I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years, but I hope I left the place a little better than when I got there,” he said. “If I had to do it all again, I would.”

VaselineJune 21, 2024

5 4 minutes read