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Sources have confirmed to Mid Valley Sports that Monrovia HC Ryan Maddox has stepped down today.

Maddox completes a six year run at Monrovia unlike any other in school history. The Wildcats have gone 69-14 overall under Maddox, including a perfect 30-0 in Rio Hondo League play since 2008. Six playoff appearances, six semifinals appearances, four title appearances, three titles, and one state appearance.

As replacement talks will soon begin it is good to take notice that former Monrovia HC Steve Garrison as well as former Azusa HC Craig Schuster currently serve on the Wildcats football staff.

No official word yet on the reasons or future for Maddox…Sources have shared with MVS (unconfirmed by Maddox) the usual line of ‘the grind of the year round job coaching football along with time away from family’ was a factor.

More to come.,,

Joe T. Note:

It seems like a long time ago now, but do you remember what Maddox was faced with at Monrovia? Not just winning, but winning in the finals? Here’s a list that we published in 2010 of all the finals “pain & torture” M-Town suffered over the years. Including the 2009 loss to San Dimas in Maddox’s first title game.

When the Wildcats finally got over the top and beat Whittier Christian in 2010 (thanks to an epic game by Jay Henderson)…Maddox told me that alumni from all over the country were calling his office to wish them well. Then of course we’ve seen what the recent success has meant as the tears have flowed from the long time faithful.

In years going forward…Maddox will be mentioned in Monrovia with the same awe that Hitchcock is in Temple City.

Nine previous trips to the CIF Finals have produced nine heartbreaks going back 75 years, covering hundreds of players and seven different head coaches.

The List of Pain

1935: In 1935 Monrovia, under Coach Gene McCallister and led by offensive lineman Louis Bowman, quarterback Frank Spratt, fullback Leroy Zimmerman, and halfback Lee McNeil (See “Last Add Monrovia”), reached the semifinals before falling to Muir Tech at the Rose Bowl.

That was on December 7th, 1935. On December 10th CIF Official Seth Van Patton informed McCallister that Muir had forfeited the game because of an ineligible player, thus M-Town advanced to the finals to face Santa Barbara. On December 14th Santa Barbara scored with five minutes remaining to defeat Monrovia, 14-12, for the CIF title in front of 10,000 at the Rose Bowl.

1951: On December 14th, the 1951 squad was 11-0 before falling to Pomona in the title tilt (to borrow an expression from the ancients) 26-13. The game was played at Mount San Antonio College in front of an estimated overflow crowd of 17,000 people.

1959: On December 11th Monrovia, with its three headed attack of Gary Ullom (QB), Roy Howell (WR), and John Watts (RB) went to Balboa Stadium to face San Diego. Monrovia was 11-0 going into the game, SD 8-2-1. The Wildcats were on the very short end of a 53-0 score.

1973: On December 14th another powerful, talented, unbeaten Wildcat team went to the finals…and again it lost. This time to Crescenta Valley, 14-7 at Citrus College. The loss snapped a 19 game winning streak that began with a 52-12 victory over Schurr in week three of 1972.

1982: In a game played at Citrus College, Monrovia took a more difficult route to the playoffs under HC Richard Watson. The Wildcats opened the season with a tie, 6-6, against Duarte. Three weeks later they lost to Loyola and then tied South Pasadena to open RHL play. Carrying a 6-1-2 record into the post season they beat Quartz Hill, and then Bishop Montgomery on a last second 42-yard field goal by Louis Galvan. A victory in the semifinals over Lompoc put them in the finals on December 10th against Verbum Dei. The result was another loss, 7-0.

1997-1999: Three consecutive losses in the finals under Steve Garrison: 28-14 to Mira Costa. 28-24 to Paso Robles. 24-10 against Paso Robles at Citrus College.

2009: At Citrus College, in a down pour, San Dimas prevailed over the previously unbeaten Wildcats 12-7.