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It started as soon as the season ended in mid November. Glendale Coach Al Eberhart stepped down and was eventually replaced by long time area assistant John Tuttle.<\/p>\nIt started as soon as the season ended in mid November. Glendale Coach Al Eberhart stepped down and was eventually replaced by long time area assistant John Tuttle.<\/p>\n
Nobody knew it at the time but Eberhart was the first of a slew of resignations of high school football coaches in the area.<\/p>\n
Then at the Southeast Division final we spoke to a coach in the Southeast who filled us in on four more resignations that were imminent in the Del Rio League. And sure enough all of them resigned in the next week.<\/p>\n
We were aware of Santa Fe Coach Jack Mahlstede calling it a career but then Walter Scott at Whittier, Ramon Juarez at Pioneer and Rick Zepeda at El Rancho also turned in their headsets. That was five coaches down and the season hadn\u2019t even been over for two weeks.<\/p>\n
But that was small potatoes compared to what happened last week. It started Monday with Darryl Thomas stepping down after 15 years at Covina. From there they started to fall like dominoes. By the time the week had ended five more coaches had joined Thomas in resigning bringing the total to 11 so far this off season. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Bob Burt at Wilson, Ben Negrete at Schurr, Steve Bogan at South Hills, Bonita\u2019s Eric Podley, Matt Koffler at Rosemead and James Wilson at Mt. View had all announced that they weren\u2019t returning as coach.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
We hear the rumors about coaches leaving after every season. For the last several years we had a running joke with Koffler that he was headed everywhere from USC to the Oakland Raiders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There are always coaching changes here and there in the off season but nothing as significant as what we have seen this year.<\/p>\n
The reasons given are usually the same \u2013 the need to spend more time with family being the main reason \u2013 but with the number of coaches calling it this week you know that it\u2019s more than that.<\/p>\n
Long hours, little support from administration, budget constraints and small compensation make it more difficult for high school football coaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing these kids celebrate like they are tonight makes it all worth it,\u201d said Monrovia assistant Mike Minter at the Wildcats\u2019 championship celebration. \u201cIt\u2019s all about the kids. But sometimes it\u2019s hard. The long hours you put in, little support, it\u2019s tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
We heard from two local coaches last summer who said there was no money in the budget to purchase new footballs and helmets. One said he had two footballs to work with for the entire season.<\/p>\n
Arroyo Coach Jim Singiser sounded off this week after the high number of resignations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just a portion of Singiser\u2019s comments: \u201cWe see these kids 3-4 hours a day. We have more contact with them than nearly anyone else in their life. No one gets rich coaching\u2026the kid at Hotdog on a Stick makes more than a head coach. Try and find someone else that puts the needs of 60 kids ahead of many of the needs of their own family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diamond Ranch Coach Roddy Layton can relate to the time spent and the pressures of coaching as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are high demands year round, little pay, high expectations, and most on the coach. People forget the player who is 16 isn\u2019t just focused on football. He has school, girls, other sports and trying to fit in with peers, etc. So not all of them want to be out year round but as a coach if you\u2019re not out there year round you feel like you\u2019re behind and your commitment as a coach is questioned,\u201d Layton said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome schools with budget to support several coaches won\u2019t suffer as much but schools with one coach on campus will force that one coach to try to do it all and eventually tire out. I believe each coach still enjoys coaching and loves his players but has to sacrifice either football or continue to sacrifice family time,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The coaches and the football programs need support, financially and otherwise, \u2013 from the administration, the parents and the community. Not next year, not next month, but now. Before there are no more coaches or programs to support.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s my principle.<\/p>\n