Giddings Will Quit as Newport Harbor Coach

Mike Giddings, Newport Harbor High School’s football coach since 1982, announced on Wednesday his resignation, which will be effective at the end of the year.

Giddings said that his business commitments take up too much time to allow him to continue coaching.

Giddings runs a scouting service, Pro Scout Inc., for nine professional teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, out of his Newport Beach home. He said his schedule, which includes viewing several hours of films each week and making detailed player evaluations in addition to coaching, has become too demanding.

But Giddings said that he would like to remain affiliated with the Sailors’ program in an informal capacity.

“I’m not severing my relationship with the school here--just changing my contribution,” Giddings said. “I plan on donating money to the booster club and to be available to the new head coach in whatever capacity he might want me.

“I would love someday to be in the financial position to retire from the (scouting) business and do nothing but coach high school football, but right now I can’t.

“Coaching high school football is great fun--the competition is great and the other coaches are so good that you have to really stay on top of things if you want to win--but all of that takes up time.”

Giddings said that he informed the Newport Harbor administration of his decision following the Sailors’ 24-21 victory over Sea View League rival Saddleback in October, but did not tell his team until the week of their first Central Conference playoff game against Magnolia last month.

A walk-on coach who started working with the Newport Harbor team in the late 1970s, Giddings was named coach of the Sailors in 1982 following the resignation of Hank Cochrane.

Giddings, a 27-year veteran of high school, college, and professional football, has a record of 34-11-3 at Newport Harbor and is preparing his team for a semifinal playoff game against La Quinta on Friday.

A former U.S. Marine, Giddings had surgery earlier this year to replace degenerated hip joints with artificial ones, but he said that he is feeling fine and that his health did not influence his decision.

Giddings was once an assistant to John McKay at USC and was also the head coach at the University of Utah.

And as a former assistant coach with Denver and San Francisco of the NFL and head coach of the Hawaii Hawaiians of the old World Football League, Giddings brought some stature to the Newport Harbor program, which had struggled before his arrival.

Giddings has always adapted his game plans to suit his talent.

When the Sailors had All-County halfback Steve Brazas, Giddings employed a ground-oriented attack.

And now with Shane Foley at quarterback, Giddings uses a pro-style, one-back passing attack similar to that of the San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins.

Bill Pizzica, Newport Harbor athletic director, said that he was not going to worry about finding a replacement for Giddings until after the playoffs.

“Several people have called about the job,” Pizzica said, “but we’re not even taking applications until the end of the season.”