West Football Coaches Knox and Black Resign

Mark Knox and John Black have resigned as co-coaches of the West Torrance High football team, and one of the leading candidates to replace them is Mary Star Coach Mike Marinkovich, West Athletic Director Fred Petersen said.

Knox and Black coached West for seven seasons, guiding the Warriors to a 44-30-4 record and four league titles. West finished in a three-way tie for the Pioneer League title last season.

“There are a lot of reasons,” Black said of his resignation. “The main reason is I just needed something different to do. I played (football) at West for four years and I was there all but three years when I played in college. I’ve been there, either playing or coaching, for 18 or 19 years. It’s time to do something else.”

Black said he and Knox might coach football next season on one of the lower levels. This spring, Knox will coach track and Black will coach golf at West.

Black said the past season, even with the team’s success, was one of the most frustrating he has endured during his tenure at West. He was defensive coordinator under Petersen when the Warriors went 14-0 and captured the CIF Coastal Conference title in 1982.

“The job got harder and harder,” he said. “If all you had to do was coach, it would be the greatest job in the world. But it’s not just that.”

West was dealt a blow last summer when quarterback John Walsh transferred to Carson. Walsh, after helping Carson to the L.A. City 4-A title and earning a scholarship to Brigham Young University, transferred back to West on Monday but is ineligible to participate in spring sports.

Black said Walsh’s transfer soured his attitude on high school athletics.

“Mark and I have kept quiet about it, but it took its toll on us,” he said. “Every time you turned around, it was in your face. It was always there haunting you. Some people say the end justifies the means, but that’s not the way I look at it.

“I saw (Walsh) registering at school three weeks ago. It’s been on his mind to come back all along.”

Petersen said there have been several applicants for the vacant coaching position. Two of the most promising, he said, are Marinkovich and Mater Dei assistant coach Kerry Krabb.

“We’re looking at another month of interviews, but those two guys I feel will be in the final three or four,” Petersen said.