Mullen Apparently Will Leave Anaheim for Palm Desert Job

It appears that Ted Mullen, one of the most successful football coaches in Orange County for the past 18 years, won’t be coaching at Anaheim High School in the fall.

Members of Anaheim’s football team said Wednesday that Mullen told them he doesn’t expect to return next season, and Palm Desert High Coach Hal Rose said he is “90% certain” that Mullen will be joining his staff in the fall.

Mullen has sold his home in Orange and has bought a home in the Mission Lakes development of Desert Hot Springs; he has told friends he plans to retire there, according to Dan Miller, Anaheim athletic director. Mullen has interviewed for assistant positions at Palm Springs, Indio and Palm Desert, according to Rose. Mullen has been unavailable for comment.

Miller said Thursday that Mullen hasn’t formally resigned, but a “vacancy notice” for the position of head football coach at Anaheim, dated Monday, has been posted by the personnel services division of the Anaheim Union High School District.

“Ted said he would be happy to resign, but we’re hoping to keep him,” Miller said. “The chances are pretty good he’s going to leave.”

Jerry Cheek, Palm Springs football coach, said he interviewed Mullen about three weeks ago and offered him a position as a freshman coach and varsity assistant in charge of scouting.

“He wanted to come out here real bad,” Cheek said. “I have 12 coaches on staff, and I really wasn’t looking for another coach. It got down to dollars and cents, and he decided to go down the road to Palm Desert.”

Rose said Mullen is the leading candidate for an opening on his staff, but it has not been decided whether Mullen can be offered a teaching position.

“We’re a young staff at a young school and getting someone like Ted Mullen for our program would be tremendous,” Rose said. “We run the I-formation and that’s Ted’s speciality. I’m hoping he’ll coach the offensive backs and defensive backs.”

Palm Desert, a member of the Desert Valleys League, opened three years ago and will graduate its first class this month. The Aztecs have had the leading ground gainer in Riverside County for the past two seasons, according to Rose.

Mullen has a lifetime record of 151-58-6 in 18 seasons at Villa Park, University, Foothill and Anaheim. He won the Southern Conference title in 1981 at Foothill and lost in the title game in 1983.

Mullen also coached Villa Park into three championship games during his tenure from 1971-79 and led Anaheim into the Central Conference title game in his first season there, 1988. Mullen and Santa Ana’s Dick Hill are the only coaches in Southern Section history to coach in title games at three schools.

MULLEN’S RECORD

School Years Record Villa Park ‘71-79 72-28-2 University 1980 3-7-1 Foothill ‘81-86 59-15-2 Anaheim ‘87-88 17-8-1 Totals 18 years 151-58-6

CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES

‘75--AAA runner-up

‘76--AAA runner-up

‘77--Southern Conference champion

‘81--Southern Conference champion

‘83--Southern Conference runner-up

‘87--Central Conference runner-up