SDSU Assistant Coach Won’t Switch Duties, Is Reassigned off Staff

Al Tanara, hired to be a San Diego State offensive line coach in 1986, has been reassigned to SDSU’s marketing and promotions department because of a disagreement with Coach Denny Stolz.

After spring football practice ended in May, Stolz attempted to switch Tanara to a linebacker coach. Tanara balked at the move and was subsequently moved from the football staff, according to a source close to the SDSU athletic department.

“We put our staff in the best spots we think they can work in,” said Stolz, who is attending a Western Athletic Conference football coaches meeting in Park City, Utah. “Other than that, we can’t discuss personnel matters in the California State system. That’s the only comment I can make.”

Tanara was out of town and unavailable for comment Monday.

Tanara has spent his 19 previous coaching seasons on offense and had been offensive coordinator at Nevada Las Vegas from 1982-1985.

Four other Aztec assistants have changed coaching responsibilities since the beginning of spring practice. Ulima Afoa went from linebackers to offensive line, Wayne Moses from defensive backs to running backs, Ed Schmidt from defensive line to offensive line and Dan Underwood from linebackers to defensive line.

Defensive coordinator Tim McConnell, who was to be among two linebacker coaches, will coach linebackers alone because of Tanara’s reassignment.

“I think what Denny (Stolz) did was try to move the staff to see what is best for the program,” said Al Luginbill, an assistant SDSU athletic director who formerly coached with Tanara at Arizona State. “The situation was that Al (Tanara) asked to go into marketing and promotions rather than have new duties in the football area. I know that at Illinois, Mike White changed his whole staff from defense to offense and offense to defense. You see that quite a bit in football.”