Mark Hackett’s four years coaching the Bangor High football team were so successful, both personally and professionally, that he said Wednesday he feels “selfish” to keep the program to himself.

So Hackett, who in 2001 coached the Rams to their first Class A state championship in 20 years, confirmed Wednesday night that he has submitted a letter of resignation to Bangor High officials.

It’s a complicated set of reasons that brought Hackett to the decision to resign, he said, and he admitted that it’s been hard to make even his family understand why he’s decided to leave the program. Foremost, however, was the four-year limit he placed on himself when he was hired June 26, 2001.

With that limit in mind, Hackett said, and the feeling that he wanted to share the wealth, he felt it was time to pass the program on to someone else – especially with the team in such good shape.

“I feel selfish to stay here,” Hackett said. “I feel like I’ve done what I set out to do. … I planned on four years from the beginning. I think someone else needs a chance to be involved. I don’t know, maybe it’s the biggest mistake of my life.”

Under Hackett, the Rams have gone 37-7, including a 12-0 season in 2001. That year Bangor won the Class A state title, the program’s first since 1981.

The Rams lost in the Pine Tree Conference quarterfinals the next year, but made it to the finals in 2003 and won the Eastern Maine Class A title last fall. One week later the Rams fell to Bonny Eagle of Standish 29-19.

“I feel a huge sense that it’s time to get done,” he said. “I feel like sometimes I get too much credit. I feel guilty a lot of the time. That’s hard for me. It takes a lot of people to get this thing to work.”

Hackett said a recent trip to Augusta also sparked feelings that he wanted to resign. He attended the rollout of the University of Maine Center for Sport and Coaching report “Sports Done Right,” which attempts to define a successful athletic program.

He came away from that meeting feeling it was important to give someone else the opportunity to coach the Rams.

“I thought about all the schools that have trouble, and we just don’t have that here,” Hackett said. “I’ve never had one incident with the administration, not one. We’re so fortunate here in Bangor.”

Bangor Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert “Sandy” Ervin said Wednesday he had heard that Hackett had submitted a resignation to Bangor High principal Norris Nickerson and athletic director Steve Vanidestine but had neither seen the resignation himself nor talked to Hackett personally.

Ervin said he intends to meet with Hackett today – hopefully, Ervin said, to convince the coach to stay.

“I don’t want him to go and I am going to use all my persuasive powers to encourage [Hackett to stay],” he added. “There’s absolutely no dissatisfaction with his performance. He’s a wonderful guy.”

Hackett couldn’t say whether such a conversation with Ervin would affect his decision.

“He’s my boss. I work for Steve, I work for Mr. Nickerson, I work for the city of Bangor,” Hackett said. “It’s hard for me. I don’t think I’ve ever said no to them in my life.”

Hackett said he’ll stay on as the Bangor freshman boys basketball coach, which he has done for at least 15 years, but can’t see himself coaching football again at another school.

“I’m a company man,” he said after returning home from coaching the freshmen to a win over Skowhegan.

He also declined to speculate on who would take over the coaching duties.

“I wouldn’t want to force it on someone who didn’t want it,” Hackett said. “I just feel like they deserve the same thing I do.”

Hackett was hired in 2001 to replace longtime coach Jonathan “Gabby” Price. Ervin oversaw the school committee meeting during which Hackett was confirmed with a 5-0 vote.

“I was very excited when Mark Hackett wanted to be the football coach,” Ervin said. “It was a wonderful opportunity for him and a wonderful opportunity for Bangor.”

Hackett is a former University of Maine player who had spent the previous nine years in a variety of positions under Price. A Veazie resident, Hackett is the work study coordinator at Bangor High School.

Hackett was a fullback-linebacker at Orono High School and graduated in 1979. He went on to the University of Maine, where he played for three years. Hackett was injured in his fourth year and served as a student assistant coach with the secondary.

He went on to an assistant position at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine. Hackett joined the Bangor staff in 1985, left for a year to teach at the Orland Consolidated School, and returned to Bangor in 1987, where he has been ever since.