Mike Barron Gives Up His Football Struggle at Laguna Beach

Frustrated with the Laguna Beach football team’s struggles in the Pacific Coast League, Mike Barron has resigned as coach after one season.

“It’s time to move on,” Barron said Wednesday. “I was the choice to build this program, and I might be dead by the time I get this going. Maybe it’s better if they get a younger guy, someone from the community.”

In his only season at Laguna Beach, Barron, 50, coached the Artists to a 1-9 record, the only victory coming against the Dana Hills junior varsity. The Artists were outscored, 227-51, in five league games. The school has won one league game in the last four seasons.

In December, league principals denied a petition by Laguna Beach officials to play a free-lance football schedule next season. With an enrollment of 650, Laguna Beach is Orange County’s smallest public school and the smallest in the league. Only 28 boys played on the Laguna Beach varsity last season.

“I was concerned with what happened with the league,” Barron said. “I thought I could hang in and build a program. But I think this (resigning) is best for everyone.”

Barron gave school officials a brief letter of resignation Tuesday, citing “family reasons and personal obligations” as his reasons for quitting. He will continue to teach physical education and athletics at Laguna Beach and Thurston Middle School.

“For all concerned, I thought it might be time for me to get out of head coaching,” Barron said. “I might go be an assistant somewhere and help build a program.”

Barron has been a head coach at Duarte, Santiago and Rancho Alamitos and an assistant coach at West Hills and Rancho Santiago community colleges.

Tim Sullivan, Laguna Beach’s assistant principal, said he expects to open the coaching position within the district in “the near future.” If nobody within the district is hired, the position will open for all candidates, Sullivan said.