After 16 straight years as a varsity coach and physical education teacher, Bob Sinclair is, at least for the time being, moving off the field, out of the gym, and into the front office.

Sinclair, who has been a varsity football coach at Hampden Academy the last 11 seasons and at John Bapst the previous five, has taken a job as assistant principal at Bucksport High School.

“This is my first administrative job,” said Sinclair, who is completing the second year of a three-year educational leadership master’s program at the University of Maine. “There were some things I was looking for to move into a new job and this offered those things. It’s a small school with a good, solid principal in Tom Sullivan.”

This is the second week on the new job for Sinclair, who officially resigned as Hampden’s physical education teacher and football coach last month.

The Broncos won 42 games and lost 70 during Sinclair’s tenure. They also advanced to the playoffs each of the last four seasons and five times overall. Sinclair’s best year was 1998, when the Broncos went 10-2 and won the Eastern Maine Class B championship.

“November of 1998 was a very special time for me there. That was a great run with a great group of kids and it was a thrill for everybody involved,” Sinclair said. “It was a great 10 years as a coach at Hampden and the most difficult thing was telling the kids at Hampden. There were a lot of tears and most of them were mine.”

Sinclair, who was 6-35 overall at Bapst, is also the only East head coach to win the annual Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic.

“I think the biggest thing with Bob is the way he has about him. He’s very straightforward and he cares about the kids,” said Sullivan, who took over the principals’ job from Tom Comiciotto two months ago. “He’s concerned about academics and he has a solid athletic background as well, and that serves people well in administrative posts.”

After 19 seasons as either head or assistant football coach, Sinclair said it’s a tough transition to make, but one he had to do in order to realize his goal of eventually becoming a principal.

“There’s no position for me now, but anything’s possible as far as coaching goes,” said Sinclair, who will keep his whistle at the ready just in case. “Who knows? Maybe an assistant’s position or something will open up.”

Hampden has advertised the open football position twice and is accepting applications. School superintendent Rick Lyons said he hopes to have a new coach by mid-May. Chris Bartlett was hired this week as the new phys ed coach.

Sinclair said Bucksport is a good fit for him. He already knows many of the people in the administration and even coached current varsity baseball and basketball coach Dave Gonyar when Gonyar was a senior at Orono High.

Sinclair will commute from his home in Orono at least until after his son Derek graduates in the summer of 2002.