PREP EXTRA : Now, Saints Are Over the Hill

Take a memo.

To: Santa Ana High School officials.

From: A casual observer.

Subject: Chickens come home to roost.

Face it guys, you blew it. You fired a legend. Dick Hill, the winningest high school football coach in Orange County history, was yours, and you shoved him out the door. Genius, pure genius.

Now comes the payback.

All Hill ever wanted to do was coach football. You wouldn’t let him. Well, today he still coaches football, at Orange. On Sept. 29, he will coach football against Santa Ana. It’s fitting, really.

Oh, it’s beneath Hill to think of such things, but a victory by Orange would make more than a few people grin.

It could also be county victory No. 199 in an illustrious career that began at Downey High School in 1956. But, hey, who’s counting? Still, you might remember Hill did win a few games for you guys.

Then you gave him the boot.

Hill, you may recall, retired from teaching in 1991. He’d done his share--and then some--in the classroom. He’d done as much on the field. The Saints won a Southern Section championship and five league titles in eight seasons.

Hardly surprising. The man won four section titles in 27 years of coaching at Downey, Santa Ana Valley and Santa Ana.

But when he called it quits as a teacher, you folks in charge wanted to push him out to pasture. You don’t teach, you don’t coach.

Well, it’s not a bad rule. But if ever there was an exception, it is Dick Hill. He is exceptional.

Santa Ana football players needed more time than Hill could give as a teacher. He reached that decision after 16 of his players were declared ineligible in 1991. A full-time coach was needed to push the players in the right direction. The right man for the job was right there.

Hill saw life as it was over there. Times had changed, so had kids. For that matter, so had parents. Some of them weren’t around.

“So many young men need guidance because they don’t have a father in their lives,” Hill said. “Our society needs men who care about young people. God had blessed me with skill as a coach. I have a lot to offer young men.”

But you told him to peddle it elsewhere. That’s what he did.

He was an assistant at Foothill in 1992. The Knights reached the Division IV semifinals.

Last year, Hill wanted to remain close to home. He took the junior varsity job at Savanna. The Rebels went 10-0.

“Dick was a blessing,” Savanna Coach Fred Di Palma said. “He never swore or degraded the kids. He was more important as a role model than anything else.”

Hmmmm, a positive role model. Pretty poor qualification for a football coach.

You see, Hill reaches kids.

“Coaching is an area where you can communicate on the kids’ level,” Hill said.

Communicate? Hill, 65, would often play pickup basketball with his players. When was the last time any of you shot hoops with students?

Hill was set to coach the freshman team at Esperanza this season when Orange officials contacted him. The impact was immediate.

Former coaches around the school, guys with years of experience, returned to action. Suddenly, almost every Orange assistant was also a staff member.

“Every coach in Orange County should be required to work one season under Dick,” assistant Ed Howard said. “He’s taught me to expect more from kids so they will expect more of themselves.”

Well, looks like your loss is Orange’s gain.

In closing, gentlemen, Dick Hill does not hold a grudge. He’s looking forward to the Santa Ana game with fondness, not vindictiveness.

He sees life as a great experience where lessons are learned. Hopefully, you all learned yours.