San Diego Prep Review / Chris De Luca : Ruling Today on Snyder Firing

The superintendent of the Escondido Union School District is expected to rule today on an appeal by Dennis Snyder, who was fired after his ninth season as Escondido High School football coach.

Snyder was fired Nov. 24 by Principal Jackie Nichols after a 2-8 season. On Thursday, he appealed the dismissal to district Superintendent John Cooper. Snyder, who has coached at the school the past 21 years and was a student at Escondido, continues to teach physical education there.

“The reason I’m appealing is the poor way it was handled,” said Snyder in a telephone interview Monday night. He said Nichols fired him because “there was not enough involvement on my part” in a group of parents and teachers formed at Escondido this school year to perform the duties of the football booster club.

According to Snyder, he didn’t find out why he was fired until eight days after his dismissal.

Nichols was unavailable for comment.

The firing was discussed at last week’s meeting of the Escondido Union School District board. Snyder said more than 500 people--including Escondido coaches and students--voiced displeasure at the move. The school board took no action on the matter.

“Right now the matter is up in the air,” said Chick Embrey, former head football coach and current track coach who has been at Escondido the past 22 years. Snyder was an assistant to Embrey, and he became head coach when Embrey stepped down in 1977.

“Most of the coaches are coaching under protest and are working because they don’t want to let the kids down,” Embrey said.

Snyder’s best season was his first, when he led Escondido to a 10-2 season and the San Diego Section 2-A semifinals. His league record was 27-27-1 in his nine seasons.

Tom Pack, coach of the San Diego Section 3-A champion Fallbrook High football team, is a man of his word. Three years ago, Pack promised his team he would shave his head if the Warriors advanced to the playoffs that season.

Pack was saved from the shave when the Warriors were eliminated in the early round of the playoffs.

But last Saturday night, Fallbrook had made its first appearance in the championship game. And as the Warriors ran onto the field in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, Pack was leading the way, sporting a fresh crew cut, with the letters CIF shaved in the bristles of hair on the back of his head.

“They kept bringing it up every week,” Pack said. “After we won a game, all I heard from the players was buzz, buzz.”

Wide receiver Bill Dunckel, who was on the team when Pack made the promise, was the first to shave Pack’s hair at a fund-raiser in the school cafeteria last Friday. Pack charged parents, students and teachers $1 to watch the event, which earned the Warriors $115.

Add Fallbrook: After the Warriors won the 3-A title Saturday night, they left a message for the Seattle Seahawks, who used the same locker room Sunday against the Chargers. The message, scribbled on a clubhouse chalkboard, read: “Dear Seahawks, We beat Vista, 28-14. We are the best. Sincerely yours, Fallbrook.”

The Sports Communications Network, an independent cable operation, has begun broadcasting local high school sports on various public-access cable stations throughout the county.

Tonight, SCN will broadcast the Section 2-A championship football game between Lincoln and Oceanside that took place Saturday night.

According to Tony Giordano, SCN executive producer, will begin weekly broadcasts of major high school sporting events later this month. SCN will also broadcast an hourlong weekly program titled “This Week in the CIF” beginning in February. The program will present features on high school athletes and events.

Prep Notes

Santana football Coach Bill Homik announced his resignation at the team’s awards banquet Dec. 4. Homik, who compiled a 8-29 record in his four years, will continue teaching at Santana. His replacement will be named in January. . . . With Friday’s 84-37 victory over Fallbrook Friday night, the Point Loma girls’ basketball team has 31 consecutive victories. The Pointers also boast a 93-game home winning streak. “I’m not afraid to play somewhere else,” Pointer Coach Lee Trepanier said. “We do pretty well all over.” Point Loma is 94-1 the past four years. The loss came early last season, when the Pointers were narrowly defeated by Pasadena Muir in the Santa Barbara tournament. . . . Bill Williams, a defensive coach at San Diego City College, was named San Diego High School’s head football coach for the 1987 season. Williams, who replaces Steve Hembera, is the fifth football coach at the school in six years. San Diego was 2-8 this season. Williams was the football coach at the University of San Diego in 1976. San Diego High Principal Robert Amparan said he wanted to improve the program with an experienced collegiate coach.