Parents, athletes and rival coaches all said that Dwight Estey would be unable to stay away from track and field. Their suspicions have been confirmed, although not in the way they might have expected.

Later today, Estey will be making a joint announcement with Franklin coach Paul Travato that he will be joining the Panther coaching staff for the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2009. This will be a dramatic change for Coach Estey, having coached at North Attleboro since 1979 after being an athlete of the school from 1967-1970.

When asked how he will adapt to a color other than red and white he answered, “I ran for UConn from '71 to ‘74 and helped out the Attleboro Track Team in the spring of '74 during my student teaching assignment. They both wore blue. So if I had to pick another color, blue and white would be comfortable.” He added, “In fact I'm sure I have a few shirts left over from '74 that fit because I've only gained a couple of pounds since then.”

Coach Travato was candid about the change. “When he first approached me I thought he was kidding. But Coach Estey and I have always seen eye-to-eye on every issue. And he's always gotten along well with the girls on the team. This should be an easy adaptation as long as he remembers who's in charge.”

Details about coaching assignments have yet to be finalized. When asked which athletes he'd like to work with, Estey first hesitated, then decided to be frank. “ I know Coach Travato loves the 400M. I'd be willing to coach everything else.”