Los Angeles Times 1995 All-Ventura Football Team : COACH OF THE YEAR : Hurley Has Been a Consistent Winner

He doesn’t rally his team by frothing at the mouth or shedding tears or loudly invoking the name of everything holy and good.

George Hurley motivates the Newbury Park High football team by remaining on an even keel, by being a coach the players feel good around.

“Coach is really a nice person,” senior Eddie Patterson said. “He doesn’t change much day to day. You know what to expect from him.”

And by reaching a Southern Section championship game for the second time in three seasons, Newbury Park exceeded expectations. The Panthers were 13-1, won the Marmonte League championship and advanced to the Division III final before losing to Diamond Bar, 30-21.

Teaching and coaching at Newbury Park is the only job Hurley has known. In seven seasons as head coach, he has a record of 54-25-2, including 33-5 and two Marmonte League championships in the past three years. The Panthers were 14-0 and Division III champions in 1993.

Hurley was an assistant under Ken Cook and Chris Pagliaro for 16 seasons before taking the head job in 1989.

Hurley’s loyalty to his school is obvious, and his loyalty to his coaching staff and players is apparent when he speaks.

“We’ve basically had the same staff through the ‘90s, and that’s probably the key reason we’ve been successful,” he said.

Offensive coordinator Gary Fabricius has taught at Newbury Park since 1981, and defensive coordinator Doug Dagan and line coach Greg Mattes both are graduates of the school.

Rarely do any of the coaches raise their voices on the sidelines. Most of their instruction is delivered in positive terms.

“It’s easy to be yourself and concentrate on what you have to do with our coaches. They respect us as people,” said Chris Czernek, Newbury Park’s quarterback.

That environment is a credit to Hurley, whose last words to his crestfallen team after the loss to Diamond Bar were, “I’m extremely proud of you and I love you all.”