Harbor Names Coach to Replace Ferragamo

South Bay high school football legend Chris Ferragamo is history at Harbor College after two seasons.

On Wednesday, the school named Don Weems, a defensive coordinator at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, as head coach.

Ferragamo won eight City titles in 11 years at Banning High before becoming coach at Harbor in 1987.

Success didn’t follow him to Harbor. In two seasons, he compiled a 3-17-1 record. The Seahawks finished with a 2-7-1 mark in his first year and a dismal 1-10 last fall.

“I thought it would take a year or so to build the program,” Ferragamo said. “But I realize now that it takes time. I would need about five years to do it. I guess I just wasn’t as knowledgeable about the area and the system as I thought.”

Last fall, Harbor Athletic Director Jim O’Brien announced that a temporary full-time position would be available within the athletic department for the 1989-90 school year because an instructor was taking a year of sabbatical. O’Brien reserved the position, guaranteed for only one year, for the football coach. Due to district policy, Ferragamo had to apply for the job along with others.

Candidates were narrowed to six, according to O’Brien. Five, including Ferragamo, were interviewed and one didn’t show up. After an interview with the selection panel, Ferragamo turned down the position because there is no job guarantee after one year. That left the selection committee with four candidates.

“There’s no security,” Ferragamo said. “I want a contract before I leave my job here (as a teacher at Banning).” His only post at Harbor was that of football coach. He was not a teacher.

Weems, who played football at Cal State Long Beach, was chosen for his experience and knowledge of the area. The 42-year-old was successful at Kennedy High in La Palma, where he coached until 1971. He led the Knights to a CIF title in his last year.

Then he spent seven years as a defensive coordinator at Santa Monica College before going to UNLV in 1984. Santa Monica lost only nine games while Weems was there and went to three bowls. During his first year at UNLV, the Rebels won the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. Conference title and the California Bowl.

“If there’s one thing the Division I level does for a coach,” Weems said, “is that it teaches him to work real hard. (South Bay) is a football hotbed. It’s one of the best football areas in the state, and with enough work, Harbor can be very successful.”

Weems’ first meeting with the team is Monday, the beginning of the spring semester and his first day of work.

Ferragamo hasn’t decided what he’s going to do.

“I’ll have to think about it,” he said. “I’ve been coaching for 27 years and it’s foreign to me not to coach.”