Chapman’s Boyd Tells Team He Won’t Return

Chapman University men’s basketball Coach Bob Boyd told his players at a team meeting Sunday evening that he won’t be coaching at the school next season.

Boyd, who ended his 30th season as a collegiate head coach Saturday night in a 67-54 loss to Cal State Dominguez Hills, is in the final year of a three-year contract. Boyd said the contract, which reportedly paid him $60,000, wouldn’t be renewed, according to senior captain Rog Middleton.

Boyd, his assistant coach Jerry DeBusk or Athletic Director Dave Currey could not be reached for comment.

Boyd, 61, had said Wednesday that he would like to coach at Chapman for “three or four more years,” despite the team’s 30-50 record during his tenure. Under Boyd, the Panthers won only seven of their 40 games in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn., finishing in last place in each of the seasons.

The Panthers were 7-19 and 2-12 in the CCAA this season.

Boyd was perhaps best known when he was coach at USC from 1966-79. During that time he compiled a 215-131 record, but finished second in the Pacific 8 Conference to UCLA six times. Boyd resigned from USC in 1979 and, two months later, the Trojans qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time since he had taken the job.

He later coached at Mississippi State five seasons, resigning in 1986 to move back to California. Lured out of semi-retirement by Riverside Community College, Boyd led Riverside to an Orange Empire conference championship in 1989 and was hired by Chapman before the next season. He started his career as a collegiate head coach in 1957 at Santa Ana College and has an overall record of 485-356 at NCAA Division I, Division II and community college levels.

Middleton, a forward who Saturday night set the Chapman career-scoring record, said Boyd called him at 1 p.m. Sunday and asked him to get his teammates together for a 7 p.m. meeting.

“He told us he wouldn’t be back,” Middleton said. “It was a shock. It was a surprise to all of us. Jerry DeBusk had been out on the road recruiting for a month and a half, so everything seemed to be OK.

“Coach Boyd seemed relaxed, pretty calm. He didn’t use much emotion. He handled it pretty well, in my opinion.

“After he left, I went home. I was so shocked I hardly talked to any of the guys.”

Junior guard Brian Kenney said all but two of the team’s 11 players were at the meeting, which lasted about 15 minutes, and that they took the news silently. Kennedy said Boyd wished them luck.

“It’s going to be interesting to see what happens,” Kenney said. “It’s kind of a sadness and anticipation, sad that he is leaving and anticipation, wondering what is going to happen next.”