Temple City coaches undergo surgeries

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Later today, Temple City football Coach Randy Backus will find out if the prostate cancer surgery he underwent on Monday was successful.

Athletic Director John van de Veere said he talked to Backus Wednesday and that he was ‘walking around’ and ‘in good spirits.’ Van de Veere expects the doctors to tell Backus that the surgery went well.

‘He’s going to be fine,’ Van de Veere said during a phone interview. ‘He’s young.’

The PSN reports that Backus wasn’t the only Temple City coach to undergo cancer surgery, as boys’ basketball Coach Rich Hollinger also had surgery on Monday.

Backus, 50, discovered over the summer that he had cancer, but, Van de Veere said, the coach decided not to inform his team immediately because he didn’t want to distract its focus from the upcoming season.

It is Backus’ first year at the helm but 13th at the school, as Mike Mooney left the top position after last season to become an assistant principal at San Marino.

Temple City is 0-3 and plays at Rosemead (2-1) at 7 p.m. Friday.

Van de Veere will serve as interim coach until the return of Backus, which could be as soon as two weeks.

‘We haven’t really talked about it,’ Van de Veere said of a timetable. ‘Minimum two weeks, if everything goes according to plan.’

Our prayers and best wishes go out to both coaches, their families, friends and players.

- Jaime Cardenas