MYRON MILLER

Steve Virgen

The boy was 10 when his father was killed in an automobile accident.

Life for the child was destined to be empty. But football, wrestling

and rugby, came into the picture and soon the boy became a man. Soon

the boy became a coach.

This is the story of Myron Miller.

Miller, the former Costa Mesa High football coach who is now the

head man at Tustin, found his calling while rolling on the mats and

discovering adrenaline on the gridiron. He also renewed his limits

when competing in rugby.

In being an athlete, Miller paved the way for his future with help

from his coaches. That’s what made him want to be a coach himself.

“The coaches were like fathers for me,” said Miller, a Costa Mesa

resident. “When I was a kid, I didn’t have a lot going for me. Sports

were a way for me to find my niche.

“I love the game of football,” he continued. “I tell the kids how

lucky they are to play. Since I can’t go out there and still play, I

do the next best thing.”

Miller, 60, the latest honoree of the Daily Pilot Sports Hall of

Fame, said he knew he was going to coach ever since he was in high

school, at Grant High in San Fernando Valley. He graduated in 1962.

Miller, originally from Pittsburgh, played football at L.A. Valley

College and then went on to compete in wrestling, football and rugby

at Occidental College. He also played football at Cal State

Northridge.

After finishing college, he became an assistant coach in varsity

football and wrestling at Compton High in 1968. Miller continued to

work as an assistant at various schools, including Downey, El Camino

Community College and Marina Hiigh.

In 1989 he became the head coach at Ramona High in Riverside,

where he got off to a fast start.

“We won the CIF title back then,” Miller said. “I thought it would

be easy, but I haven’t won one since.”

During the spring of 1991, Miller came to Costa Mesa as the

wrestling coach. And, as soon as the season was over he became

interested in the opening for head coach of the Mustangs football

team. He endured a losing season in his first year, but in 1993, he

guided the team to a quick turnaround. The Mustangs reached the CIF

Southern Section Division VIII final.

“When we started working out [for the 1993 season], I thought we

could make the playoffs,” Miller said. “Charles [Chatman] and Dewayne

[Crenshaw] moved in and we went from an average team to a really good

team. I got a lot of credit for a lot of luck.”

Miller said the use of plyometrics has been helpful throughout his

coaching career. He discovered the importance of the exercise from

Bob Shupp, who remains as the boys and girls swimming coach at Costa

Mesa.

“That’s the reason I’ve been successful at Tustin,” said Miller,

who enjoyed coaching near his home 10 years ago. “It was really neat

coaching in my own community. I had coached some of the kids since

they were in Little League. It was just a real great experience at

Costa Mesa High.

“It was selfish of me to go to Tustin, the bigger school,” Miller

continued. “I wasn’t running away from anything. I really had a great

experience at Costa Mesa. But the hardest thing for Costa Mesa was

the population and no one could transfer in, yet kids could transfer

out. I saw that it would be difficult to compete. I’ve always liked

Tustin. I just felt that it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.

I was really torn when I did go to Tustin. The competitive juices

really pushed me toward Tustin.”

While winning is important for Miller, he still depends on passing

on the values he gained while playing football. His coaches made a

genuine impact on his life and he aims to do the same for his

players.

“The goal is always to win,” Miller said. “But I didn’t get into

coaching for that reason. I want to win. I’m a very competitive

person. But I really think that I got into coaching to work with

young men and have them pursue to win, learning how to pursue it and

learning how to sacrifice to have a chance at it. Every year, you

hope you have a positive effect.”

Miller lives in Costa Mesa with his wife, Kathy, of 22 years. They

have three sons, David, Ryan and Robert, and one daughter, Thea.

Miller said he doesn’t see retirement plans on the horizon.

“The only thing that would keep from coaching my last day would be

my health,” Miller said. “But if I don’t get the job done, it’s not a

job to me. I still love it. I could put in a 12-14 hour day and it’s

not work to me.”