Ex-Coach, Board Clash Over His Offer to Return : * Burbank: School Trustee Robert Dunivant was critical of his successor’s record on the Burroughs High football field. Butch McElwee quit Friday.

Call it North Burbank Forty.

John Burroughs High School’s battles on the gridiron this season are being rivaled by a game of political football between school board member Robert Dunivant and his colleagues over the team’s fortunes.

Some board members say Dunivant, a highly popular coach at Burroughs who retired from the faculty last year to go into real estate, may have stepped out of bounds when he criticized his successor in a local newspaper article, then agreed to take over the team last Friday when the coach quit.

The resignation came a few weeks after Dunivant, who had a 102-75-4 record at Burroughs during a 25-year career, told the newspaper that Butch McElwee, who had been head coach for four years, was to blame for the decline of the school’s football program in recent years.

Dunivant was also quoted as saying he would consider returning as Burroughs’ coach if he was asked.

McElwee, who compiled a 23-24 record, has said he was upset by Dunivant’s comments. Commenting on his decision to resign, he said, “Things just took place that I did not appreciate and I felt that the situation was getting worse.”

Dunivant will seek board approval on Thursday to coach the Burroughs team for the remainder of the season. He would also like to be paid for his efforts.

But school board President William Abbey said he was concerned about Dunivant’s actions.

“This raises a number of questions that disturb me,” Abbey said. “First, he torpedoes a district employee in the press, which is a no-no for a board member. Then he indicates he would accept a position if it were offered him.”

He added that the board would probably not approve Dunivant’s request to get paid: “It would be a conflict of interest for a board member to be paid as a district employee.”

Fellow board member Audrey Hanson said she also had doubts about Dunivant’s proposal. “I have a lot of concerns about the circumstances,” she said.

But Dunivant denied he was pulling an illegal end run around the board.

“I have no ulterior motive in this whole thing,” he said. “I just want to come in the back door, help the kids out, get through the season and go out the same back door. Whether I get paid is secondary, although I would like to get paid. It would be very little money, but it would take a lot of time.

“My motives are that I love the school,” he said. “Going back there is like going home. I don’t understand all this hype. It’s purely political.”

Dunivant has clashed previously with three veterans on the board--Abbey, Hanson and Vivian Kaufman--since he won a board seat in February. He was the only one of eight school board candidates, including Abbey, who was elected in the primary election.

Kaufman was not available for comment.

Dunivant said a precedent had also been set for board members serving as coaches. He said Abbey had previously coached the Burroughs girls soccer team.

Abbey denied Dunivant’s claim, saying he only served as a volunteer assistant coach a few years ago. “All I did was carry balls and water and the first aid kit to games,” he said. “I was not paid.”

Board member Elena Hubbell, the other member of the board who was elected this year, said she would support Dunivant.

“It’s too bad it’s reached this point,” Hubbell said. “I feel bad that Coach McElwee left. But being a coach in today’s society puts you under criticism. I don’t believe Bob Dunivant intentionally bad-mouthed him.”

District Supt. Art Pierce said Dunivant could serve as head coach with board approval, but strictly as a volunteer. He said he is recommending that Burroughs Athletic Director Marty Garrison serve as a paid head coach, with Dunivant serving as volunteer coach.

The Sept. 11 Burbank Leader article, “What’s Happened to Burroughs?” quoted Dunivant on the shortcomings of the coaches and the football programs at Burbank and Burroughs high schools. He blamed them for not taking a more active role in promoting football among Burbank youths entering high schools.

“It’s the fault of the existing coaches at Burbank and Burroughs that the program has failed,” Dunivant was quoted as saying.

Dunivant was also quoted as saying he would consider coaching the 1992 Burroughs team if asked: “I would probably consider it. It would be interesting to consider. I didn’t think I’d miss football as much as I do.”

Officials said McElwee had intended to resign at the end of the season. They said they were surprised when he announced his resignation after last Friday’s game was halted--with little more than two minutes left to play--because of a brawl that broke out between the Burroughs players and their opponents from Chaminade High.

Assistant Burroughs Principal Brian Hurst downplayed the controversy. “It’s just an unfortunate situation that went down,” he said. “We made an immediate decision to appoint Bob after the resignation. We had a football game in five days. He had offered his help earlier in the season. It’s not like someone was waiting in the bushes.”

During the last two seasons, Burroughs has had a 5-16 record. Last season, the Burroughs Indians had a 2-8 record and suffered a 63-0 loss to Quartz Hills, the worst defeat in school history.