Prediction Finally Comes True for Wilson : Community colleges: Rancho Santiago athletic director is retiring after 31 years at the school.

In late March of 1988, a quote from a newspaper story was taped to a door in the athletic department at Rancho Santiago College.

The words came from Coach Don Sneddon after he had tied Roger Wilson as the winningest baseball coach in the history of the college.

Sneddon was quoted as saying that Wilson, the athletic director, would be off his back and out of there after one more victory.

After the quote appeared, it was blown up and taped to the door, where it remains to this day.

Such good-natured kidding is common between Wilson and the coaches at Rancho Santiago. But now, three years later, Sneddon’s prediction made in jest, is about to come true.

After 31 years at the college as a coach, counselor and athletic director, Wilson, 61, is retiring at the end of June.

Nancy Warren, the physical education coordinator, will be the interim athletic director until someone is hired full-time.

Wilson said he had considered stepping down since the school year started, but made it official about a month ago.

He offered two reasons--only one serious--as to why he chose to step down now.

“Dues went up at the the Newport Beach Country Club where I’m a member,” he said jokingly. “I’m a practical guy: You need to be able to play golf more than once a week to make it worth it to belong.”

On the more serious side: “I guess that things have changed,” Wilson said. “Things are different here and everywhere else. There is a whole new set of rules to everything, especially hiring coaches. Now you need a Master’s degree just to coach. If (former Ohio State football Coach) Woody Hayes were alive today and wanted to coach here, I couldn’t hire him. Maybe it’s a cop-out. There have been some changes that really got me thinking about if I wanted to continue. I’m looking forward to having some free time.”

Wilson came to Santa Ana College in July, 1960, and is quick to point out that little remains the same since his first days on campus. “Cook Gym was there and so was the pool; other than that everything else is pretty new,” he said.

One of the most notable changes since Wilson started is the name of the college.

In the spring of 1985, when Santa Ana College was 70 years old, its governing board was about to open a campus in Orange Canyon. The board ordered the name change in an effort to show that the Rancho Santiago Community College District encompassed more than Santa Ana.

Many coaches at the school objected.

“It was really tough for athletics most of all,” Wilson said. “I don’t think they line up in red and black when they teach English classes. The alumni felt cut off. They would ask me, ‘What happened to the college that I went to?’ But we can deal with it. Datsun changed its name, too. We have started a new tradition of our own as Rancho Santiago, but I’m confident that it will be Santa Ana again some day.”

In recent years, Rancho Santiago has established itself as a state athletic power, especially in men’s basketball, baseball and football.

The Dons won State basketball titles under Coach Dana Pagett the past two seasons. Sneddon’s baseball program has become one of the best in the state, winning the Orange Empire Conference the past two seasons.

Dave Ogas’ football team made consecutive appearences in the Orange County Bowl in 1988 and 1989, winning each time. The 1989 team went 10-1.

Wilson acknowledges the victories and the awards are nice for the individual programs and the college, but he doesn’t take much credit for the success.

“Hey, as the athletic director, about the only thing you can do is try and remove the obstacles in winning,” Wilson said. “Any time I can remove one, then that is where I get my gratification.

“Around here, people are so good to work with. If you do something good they appreciate it and let you know. The best thing about working here was being with a staff that really got along. Other coaches at other schools are surprised when they see how well we do things.”

Wilson grew up in the East Oakland area and played football and baseball at Santa Rosa College in 1949 and 1950. He was a catcher and outfielder at UC Santa Barbara. Wilson earned his Master’s at Cal State Long Beach.

He became the baseball coach at Santa Ana College in July, 1960. In those days, coaches were responsible for two sports, so Wilson also coached water polo for three seasons, despite knowing nothing about the sport at the start.

“That was just how things were then,” he said. “People wore several hats. Now it’s all about specialization. I had no idea I would be doing this as a career. Heck, in those days, I just was happy to get from season to season. I just sort of looked up one day and I had already been here 15 years.”

Wilson had a record of 186-217-6 in his 14 seasons as the baseball coach for the Dons. His 1967 team went 18-11 and won the Eastern Conference. He stepped down after the 1974 season to take a break from coaching.

“Had we been able to take sabbaticals back then,” Wilson said, “that’s what I would have done. I was just tired of being away from my family.”

Wilson became a full-time counselor, but it only took a couple of years for him to tire of the one-on-one contact in favor of dealing with groups.

Wilson supervised the college’s intramurals program and coached the softball team for three seasons. In late 1980, he was named athletic director and started in January, 1981.

Wilson has never enjoyed the paperwork the job requires, but said he has enjoyed his 10 years as the athletic director and his 31 at the college.

Now he plans to spend more time with his wife, Nancy, and his dog, Missy, in their home in Newport Beach.

“(South Coast Conference Commissioner) Don MacKenzie told me, ‘Welcome to the big waiting room in the sky,’ ” Wilson joked. “But I’m not ready for that for a long time. I’m looking forward to all the free time as I slip into the endless summer.”