Jay Kemble experienced the University of Maine baseball program at its height as a player and worked there during leaner years as a member of the coaching staff.

Kemble, 34, announced Tuesday he is stepping down Dec. 19 after eight-plus seasons as an assistant coach for the Black Bears. He hopes to make the transition to teaching and coaching at an area high school, which will provide more stability professionally and personally for him and and his wife Karen, a Bangor attorney.

Kemble, who reportedly has been offered the job as the Orono High baseball coach, would neither confirm nor deny it. Acting Orono athletic director Bob Lucyis supposed to call me could not be reached for comment.

“By staying in college coaching and continuing to look for a head coaching job – one of those goals you have and try to achieve – you still have to remain mobile,” Kemble said. “That’s something that has always been a concern to us, not being able to settle down, buy a house, and get involved in the community.”

At UMaine, Kemble handled the pitching staff, recruited, and monitored the players’ academics. He wants to stay involved with baseball without having to spend 12 months a year doing it.

“Probably the most heroic people in all of this are the spouses of college coaches because of the support that they give, yet the amount of time that the coach is gone,” Kemble said.

He expressed his gratitude to former UMaine coach John Winkin for hiring him, to the players he coached for their hard work, and to those who have supported the program through the years.

UMaine coach Paul Kostacopoulos is grateful for Kemble’s efforts in the 15 months since he was hired as the head coach, especially since Kemble was one of the other finalists for the job.

“If we didn’t have someone like Jay in those crucial first five months – that’s when we recruited and set the tone – I don’t know where we’d be,” Kostacopoulos said. “Really, if we had any success last year it was changing the attitude, and Jay had a lot to do with that.”

Kostacopoulos had hoped Kemble could be part of the program’s resurgence in the next few years.

“I had a different vision of how it would end, a vision that we’d get back on top and he’d be a part of it,” Kostacopoulos said.

“Our relationship was not your typical head coach-assistant coach relationship,” he added. “I never felt like I was his boss. There was a mutual respect of what we needed to do here.”

Kostacopoulos said he’ll begin the search for a replacement immediately, as the Bears begin preseason practice Jan. 17. He said the ideal candidate would have extensive knowledge of pitching, unique and well-established recruiting contacts, and a general knowledge of NCAA rules.

Kemble, a Farmington native, played at UMaine 1983-86. He compiled a 4-3 record in 1986, helping lead the Bears to their fifth College World Series appearance.

Prior to joining the Maine staff in 1990, Kemble taught high school in New York and was an assistant coach at Cornell University. He went on to teach and coach two years at Old Town High and for the Brewer Falcons American Legion squad.

Kemble also coached Harwich of the Cape Cod League in 1993 and ’95 and did a stint with the Austrian National Team in 1992.

The University of Maine football team is holding its annual banquet Friday, Dec. 12, at the Black Bear Inn in Orono.

The festivities begin at 6 p.m. with a social hour, with dinner to follow at 7. Cost for the event is $25. Those interested in attending should contact Brenda Hesseltine at 581-1062.