Dobbins Bolts Simi Valley to Head Athletics Program at Rival Royal

Terry Dobbins accepted the job as the Royal High athletic director Wednesday and predicted a resurgence in athletics at the Simi Valley school.

Dobbins will move across town when he assumes his new duties in the fall. He resigned Tuesday as the Simi Valley High athletic director, ending a 15-year career at the school, the past five as athletic director. No replacement has been named.

“Maybe I’m opportunistic because with or without me Royal is on the verge of being an athletic power in Ventura County,” Dobbins said. “I see the same ingredients at Royal that I saw at Simi six years ago. They have an enthusiastic administrative staff and an energetic coaching staff.”

In the past five years, Simi Valley has sent six teams to Southern Section championship games--three of which won titles, including this season’s boys’ basketball team. Royal’s most recent Southern Section championship led to the ouster of Dobbins’ predecessor. Glenn Lipman resigned in March after the school’s soccer team won the boys’ 4-A championship.

Southern Section officials recommended that Royal relieve three administrators from interscholastic duties after the team was ruled in violation of the section’s bylaws for using a player who participated on a Junior Olympic team during the season. The issue was settled when Lipman resigned March 22 and two other administrators were reassigned.

Lipman will remain at the school as a social science and physical education teacher. Sandy Williams, the former girls’ athletic director, will keep her job as the girls’ track and cross-country coach.

Dobbins needs to fill the girls’ basketball and softball coaching positions, but his priority is adjusting to the switch to Simi Valley’s archrival.