I love the Andy Griffith Show. It is my favorite. When I need some stress relief, I’ll sit down and watch Andy, Opie, Aunt Bee and of course, Barney.

One of my favorite episodes is when the gold truck is coming through town.

Andy tells Barney that a shipment of gold will be coming through Mayberry the following day, and that they will be responsible for the security of the contents of the truck, while the drivers take a break and eat lunch at the diner.

Andy tells Barney that it is very important that they keep this mission a secret, so as not to draw any unwanted attention to a truck full of gold.

Well, you know how the story goes. In less than an hour, Barney has spilled the beans and you have to love the scene where Gomer Pyle walks in to the Sheriff’s offices and says “Hey Andy, hey Barney….So what time is the gold truck coming through.”

It’s classic.

For football enthusiasts in Gulf Shores, new head coach and athletics director Ben Blackmon has been the Dolphins version of “the gold truck.”

I have played, coached and covered high school football for many years now. I know how important this is to some people, but the secrecy with which the Dolphin’s search took place was, to me, a little uncanny.

This isn’t the University of Alabama or Auburn University. This is high school football.

I think the way Dr. Ernie Rosado and the Gulf Shores administration went about their search was first class —except for the secrecy.

A committee was formed, made up of parents who have student athletes, as well as some school administrators. The more than 100 resumes were narrowed down to a handful, then eventually down to three, and Dr. Rosado made the ultimate decision.

All of this was done in just over a two-week period.

Impressive!

It was just odd to me that nobody wanted to talk about who was in the running.

Who were the final 10? Where were the final three? Why couldn’t the community know who they were dealing with?

I had several calls from interested parents and supporters wanting to know who the finalists were. I couldn’t answer.

Listen, getting the names of the coaching finalists was harder than opening a new jar of pickles. (Which brings to mind another episode of Andy Griffith, but there is not enough room left in this column for that.)

Personally, here is my feeling. The football coach and athletic director in a small town like Gulf Shores is indeed a high profile job. He will be working with our children, he will be representing our school, and he will be overseeing the entire sports program. In the future, I think it will be okay if the community knows who it is that the committee is dealing with.

I mean, would there have been this much secrecy over a math teacher?

Hopefully, Coach Blackmon, who comes to Gulf Shores from Greenville High School, will be around for a long time, and the Dolphins won’t have to be searching again for a while.

Hit ‘em straight.

Dale Jones is a writer for The Islander and a member of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Reach him at djones@gulfcoastnewspapers.com