Top of his game
Mike Sciacca
Dave White has been at this game for quite a while now, but the Edison
High football coach might be hard-pressed to find a night more special
than the one he enjoyed Monday.
Flanked by his assistant coaches and players, boosters, cheerleaders
and other well-wishers, and before the glare of television camera lights
at Dave Mohs Memorial Gymnasium on Edison’s campus, White received the
honor of being named regional Coach of the Year for Southern California.
The award was presented at the culmination of an annual program run by
KABC-TV Channel 7 in conjunction with the National Football League.
The presentation to White, which was taped Saturday, aired at the
conclusion of the Monday Night Football game between the Baltimore Ravens
and Minnesota Vikings.
“I am overwhelmed and very humbled by this. For me, though, the
greatest thing about this award is that I get to recognize my coaching
staff,” said White, who concluded his 16th season as head coach of the
Chargers in December by leading them to the CIF Southern Section Division
I championship game against Long Beach Poly.
For 16 weeks during the NFL season, KABC-TV names a local high school
football coach as its coach of the week during its postgame, Monday Night
Live, which is hosted by Bill Weir. The honored coach receives a plaque
signed by NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, a $1,000 check, which goes
toward the school’s football program, and players received NFL T-shirts.
In the first week of December, the week leading up to the Dec. 8 CIF
title game, White was selected coach of the week. At the conclusion of
the 16 weeks, KABC TV and the NFL selected regional coaches of the year,
the selection was based on what a coach does on and off the field. Three
weeks later White was honored as regional coach of the year, and was
presented with another large plaque and $1,000 check by NFL director of
operations Gene Washington.
KABC also presented White with a scrapbook filled with supportive
letters and e-mails addressed to the coach. Also on hand was ABC sports
reporter Curt Sandoval, while Weir oversaw the festivities from the
Monday Night Live studio.
“I grew up watching Gene Washington play in the NFL, so it was very
special to have him present the award,” White said.
The coach said another great surprise that came during the
presentation was a taped congratulatory message he received on a TV
monitor placed in the gymnasium. It came from Baltimore Ravens special
teams coach Russ Purnell, who was an Edison assistant coach when White
quarterbacked the Chargers his senior year in 1973. The two also served
as assistant coaches together on the Edison staff from 1979-81, Purnell being the defensive coordinator, with White in charge of defensive backs.
Edison this year won a share of its first Sunset League championship
since 1990 and reached a CIF championship game for the first time since
1985. The Chargers’ 11-1-1 record in 2001 marked the first time since
1989 that the program notched 10 wins or more in a season.
“We rolled all season but just got more awesome as the year
progressed. We also had tremendous support from our boosters and school
administration and our student body was really fired up about this team,”
he said.
White was quick to point out that he would not be standing in the
limelight if it weren’t for efforts of Charger assistant coaches Harry
Schmidt and Kyle Murphy (offensive line), Geoff Bell (quarterbacks), Rick
Meyers and Mike Ogas (wide receivers), Mike Henderson (running backs),
John Boyer (tight ends/defensive ends), Rob Simonson (defensive line),
Larry Grady (linebackers) and Fred Marquez and Ryan Tombrello (defensive
backs).
Eight of the 12 coaches, said White -- including himself, played
Edison football.
“It really was an awesome night and an awesome conclusion to a really
great season for our football program,” he said.
* MIKE SCIACCA is the education and sports reporter. He can be reached
at (714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.
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