Mullen’s Appointment Is Approved : Football Coach Leaves Orange County for Palm Desert

For the first time in 18 years, Ted Mullen won’t be coaching a high school football team in Orange County in the fall.

The Desert Sands Unified School District board of trustees on Tuesday night approved by a 4-0 vote Mullen’s application for the assistant football coach at Palm Desert High School.

The board also approved his application for math and physical education teacher.

Mullen, 56, said he will resign his head coaching position at Anaheim High School to coach running backs and defensive backs at Palm Desert. He said he doesn’t “have the burning desire to be a head coach anymore.”

“I’m looking forward to coaching one phase of the game and the nonpressures (of being an assistant),” he said.

Palm Desert Coach Hal Rose said Mullen “will help us in a lot of ways.”

“He’s pretty low-key about it,” Rose said. “But he would be an asset to any staff. We’re glad to have him, and he’ll fit right in.”

Palm Desert, a member of the Desert Valleys League, opened three years ago and graduated its first class last month.

Mullen spent the past two seasons at Anaheim and guided the Colonists to the Central Conference championship game in 1987.

Mullen said he’s leaving because he wanted to “get an early look” at settling in a retirement community.

“Retirement is still three, four, maybe five years away,” he said. “I’ve owned a trailer in the area for some time and I want to see if this is where I want to stay.”

He has sold his home in Orange and bought a house in Desert Hot Springs, about 15 miles north of Palm Desert.

“All the signs pointed to this,” he said. “It’s the right move for myself and my wife. This is an exciting point in my career.”

His move ends nearly two decades of coaching in Orange County. He 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 1977 at Villa Park. He was named The Times’ Orange County coach of the year in 1981 after leading Foothill to the Southern Conference title with a 35-28 victory against El Modena in triple overtime.