Devaney Quits as Football Coach at Sunny Hills

Tim Devaney, who guided Sunny Hills High to three Southern Section football championships in 19 seasons, has stepped down as the Lancer coach to spend more time with his family.

Devaney, 54, was among the more tenured coaches in Orange County, having been the Lancer coach since 1980. Only two current head coaches have been at their schools longer--Saddleback’s Jerry Witte, who was hired in 1974, and Pacifica’s Bill Craven, who was hired in 1976.

“I still have an 11-year-old at home and I’ve missed a lot of his athletic events,” Devaney said. “You turn around and their childhood is going to be gone.

“It was the right time. I’ve been thinking about it for a number of years. You have a good taste in your mouth after a certain season. This season, I felt pretty good about things. The kids exceeded all of my expectations.”

Sunny Hills was 6-5 last season and lost to Western in the first round of the Division IX playoffs.

Devaney was 155-63-4 at Sunny Hills and his teams annually qualified for the playoffs. The Lancers won 12 Freeway League titles and he was named the county’s coach of the year three times.

“Tim is a good person and a good coach,” Witte said. “He didn’t change in the heat of battle. When you exchanged game films, there never was a problem. There were no games, no trying to one-up you. He is a classy guy.”

Devaney won his first section title, the Central championship, in 1983. In winning the final, 29-0, Sunny Hills beat a La Habra team led by running back Chuck Weatherspoon, who later played in the NFL with Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. La Habra had defeated Sunny Hills in Freeway League play that season.

The Lancers’ other two titles were a surprise. They beat previously undefeated Tustin, 7-3, scoring a touchdown with 29 seconds left in the 1990 Division VI title game. In 1992, they beat Rancho Alamitos, a tremendously talented offensive team, 14-13, in the Division VII final, scoring the winning touchdown with barely a minute to play.

Devaney began as an assistant at Sunny Hills in 1974. He will remain at the school as a teacher and golf coach.

“It was a tough decision because I still feel good about coaching,” Devaney said. “I still may come back. I don’t have a thing about being [only] a head coach. I might come back and help somewhere. I enjoy working with kids.”