Corona del Mar Volleyball Coach’s Firing Is Upheld

Charlie Brande’s dismissal as girls’ volleyball coach at Corona del Mar High School was upheld Tuesday after he met with Newport-Mesa School District Superintendent John Nicoll, deputy superintendent Norman Loats said.

Brande was fired Sept. 19 after Nicoll’s office received three letters that accused Brande of physically abusing players.

Brande, who coached Corona del Mar to a state championship in 1984, was unavailable for comment Tuesday. He does not teach at the school. Brande, a former assistant coach at UCLA and the University of Hawaii, had said he wanted to tell his side of the issue, and that he was hopeful of being reinstated.

Loats, who sat in on the 1-hour and 15-minute meeting, said Brande will not return. Nicoll was unavailable for comment.

“The superintendent simply weighed the pros and cons and decided that there was really no alternative,” Loats said. “This wasn’t a hearing, it was very amicable. He (Brande) told his side.”

After Brande’s firing, the girls’ varsity volleyball team signed a petition asking for his reinstatement. A group of parents of current and former players will hold a news conference today at the Balboa Bay Club to announce their support of Brande.

The supporters said they will seek Brande’s reinstatement through the school board. But Loats said the possibility of the school board overturning Nicoll’s decision is doubtful.

“It’s very rare that they would in a personnel matter,” he said. “On policy yes, but not in something like this.”

Dennis Evans, Corona del Mar principal, said: “In a theoretical sense there’s a chance, but in a practical sense I can’t see it happening.”

Evans said he was not aware of the meeting’s outcome until he was told by a reporter.

“That’s typical of the way things have gone in this,” he said. “Myself and the athletic director (Ron Davis) have not been directly or even indirectly involved in this. We weren’t invited to the meeting, we weren’t involved in the decision.”

Davis and Evans have each expressed support for Brande, but Evans said: “There’s not much we can do.”