Alemany Hopes Bonds Can Rebuild Football Program

Jim Bonds, former record-setting quarterback at Hart High, has been hired as football coach at Alemany.

Bonds was offensive coordinator at St. Francis High the past four seasons and also served as an assistant at Hart in 1992. He replaces Pat Degnan, who resigned in January.

“I’m excited,” Bonds said. “The thing I wanted to do was be selective. I was very happy at St. Francis. I was very well taken care of and got to work with a great coach in Bill Redell.

“There were jobs that opened up that I didn’t apply for because I didn’t think they’d be as good an opportunity as what I had at St. Francis.”

Bonds, 28, also interviewed last week at Saugus High, which is still looking for a football coach. But he says he is happy at Alemany.

“I wanted to become a head coach,” Bonds said. “Alemany is willing to give me that chance and I’m going to do the best job that I can with it.”

In four seasons at St. Francis, Bonds helped the Golden Knights improve each year. St. Francis was 3-7 in 1993, but went 4-5-1 in 1994, 7-4 in ’95 and 8-4 in ’96.

St. Francis defeated Dos Pueblos last fall in the first round of the Southern Section Division III playoffs, marking the Golden Knights’ first postseason victory in 13 years.

Redell believes Bonds will bring about a similar turnaround at Alemany, which was 1-9 overall, 1-4 in the Division I Del Rey League last season.

“I think it’s a good move for Jim and it’s a great move for Alemany,” Redell said. “I think they really pulled off a great move to get one of the top young coaches in the state.”

Bonds is the 10th Redell assistant to become a head coach. Others in the region include Jim Benkert of Westlake and Tim Lins of Crespi.

“And Jim’s right up there with those guys,” Redell said.

A 1987 graduate of Hart, Bonds was an All-Southern Section quarterback and led the Indians to a section championship while throwing 39 touchdown passes in his senior year.

Bonds went on to play football and baseball at UCLA, graduating in 1992.

At St. Francis, Bonds teaches U.S. history and math, and is varsity golf coach. He will finish the school year before moving to Alemany as a teacher and coach next fall.