Biermann adds one more title at Crescenta Valley

Through holding a variety of prominent titles over a career that spanned parts of three decades, Ken Biermann had the opportunity to witness Crescenta Valley High evolve first hand academically and athletically.

Biermann saw plenty unfold — from academic excellence to multiple CIF Southern Section championships — while serving as a coach, counselor, teacher, assistant principal and, ultimately, principal from 1973-95.

There are plenty of people Biermann met along the way, leading to the creation of solid relationships with students who roamed the campus. Biermann, 74, can still remember many of the highlights that helped further Crescenta Valley’s tradition.

“I’ve just been very fortunate to be a part of the school’s history,” said Biermann, who will be inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame Saturday at Chevy Chase Country Club. “I’ve been blessed to have been able to coach a few different sports, come across great student-athletes, meeting new people and being principal.

“So many things happened during my time at Crescenta Valley and I’ll never forget those times. I’ve been lucky to have been around and continue to be around a lot of great people. One thing I have always emphasized to my students was that academics and athletics go hand in hand and can help you become an even better person as you grow.”

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Born in Los Angeles, Biermann graduated from Washington High in 1957 before moving on to L.A. City College, where he played running back and defensive back for the football team. He then transferred to Los Angeles State College (now Cal State Los Angeles) and earned a degree in physical education.

Biermann became a physical education teacher at Burroughs High in Burbank. He held the position from 1963-68 and was an assistant football coach. Biermann also was the school’s head baseball coach from 1966-68.

“Burroughs was an excellent place to get started with teaching and coaching,” said Biermann, a Glendale resident. “You learned the ropes on how to coach and it was rewarding to be able to teach there. I still believe that.”

In 1968, Biermann had a chance to move to Crescenta Valley, which had opened in 1960. Under athletic director George Clausen, Biermann coached football, baseball, tennis and track and field at Crescenta Valley.

“There were so many things to learn from George and it started with having top-flight organizational skills and being ready to jump into any given situation,” said Biermann, who became athletic director in 1973. “You learn to be on top of all things, from scheduling to getting a pulse on all of the teams to building a trust factor with all of the coaches.

“I think the biggest thing was improving ways to deal with the coaches. They want you to support them and you start by getting to know their needs and attitudes. Crescenta Valley had success early in its history with basketball and aquatics. Some programs weren’t as strong as others, but, by bringing in the right people, we thought we could change that and we were able to.”

Things began to take flight for the Falcons in 1973, starting with the football team capturing the CIF Southern Section Division AAA championship under coach Gordy Warnock.

Dennis Gossard served as an assistant under Warnock on the 1973 squad that topped Monrovia, 14-7, for the championship. Gossard was the offensive coordinator on the title-winning team and then head coach from 1977-78.

“People respected him because they always knew he would back them,” said Gossard, who is the team’s current defensive coordinator and helped the Falcons win the Southeast Division title last fall. “What we knew then was that he knew how to lead and be a great role model for a lot of us who were just starting out as coaches.

“He proved to be a great role model for the coaches of other teams, students and the teachers.”

Biermann also brought in Jim Beckenhauer, a former standout football player at Crescenta Valley and Glendale Community College. Beckenhauer joined the football staff as an assistant in 1974 and would later become the head football coach from 1985-92.

Beckenhauer, also a former athletic director at Crescenta Valley for 12 years, said Biermann had a relentless determination to be a stabilizing force within the school’s athletic department.

“I’ll always be grateful for him bringing me back to CV and coaching football,” Beckenhauer said. “He always wanted to find ways to make Crescenta Valley become better with academics and athletics.

“He was our go-to guy and he always knew how to handle people so well. It was great to see him move up the ladder within the athletic department and then eventually as an administrator.”

Biermann held the role of athletic director through 1983 before moving into another capacity. He became the dean of students from 1983-85. After holding that position, Biermann became assistant principal under Sam Nicholson from 1985-88.

“There were so many big positives moving over to the administration side,” Biermann said. “For starters, I already knew a lot of the kids and had built relationships with them that had carried over from being in athletics.

“It was a new challenge that I had sought and I couldn’t have worked under a better person than Sam. He was always there to help me. Academics were and continue to be strong at Crescenta Valley and we always stressed to the kids that they could get a great education here. The school won a lot of academic awards, so we could see how they were faring in the classrooms. Even to this day, I come across students from my time at Crescenta Valley and I appreciate the years I’ve had with them and the staff.”

Nicholson served as principal from 1980-88 and looked to groom Biermann.

“One of his biggest strengths was that he’s very much straight forward and people develop a trust in him because of that,” Nicholson said. “All of those jobs he had in athletics, from coaching to becoming the athletic director, made him a perfect fit to come over to our administration.

“He had paid his dues being the dean of students and then working for me. I don’t think the Glendale Unified School District could have found a better replacement when he took over for me. He had the capacity to work well with others and was always on top of things.”

Biermann then became director of student services for the district in 1995 and held the post until retiring in 2000.

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For the last 15 years, Biermann has enjoyed retirement. He’s still actively involved within the community, often attending local functions such as the Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club and Crescenta Valley athletic events.

Now, Biermann will take his place in the school’s athletic hall of fame.

“It’s an honor to be able to go into the hall of fame,” Biermann said. “I’ll be in with people I’ve worked with and it’s nice to be recognized for trying to make a difference in the school and community.”

John Goffredo, who was Crescenta Valley’s boys’ basketball coach from 1978-97, forged a relationship with Biermann that began at Burroughs nearly 50 years ago.

Goffredo was a member of the Burroughs boys’ basketball team when Biermann tried to coax Goffredo into joining the football team. Goffredo also played baseball under Biermann.

“I’ve known him since I was 15 and I remember him telling me I should come over and play football,” Goffredo said. “He always had time for me when I played sports at Burroughs and then when I coached at Crescenta Valley. Those are things I will always appreciate.

“There’s nobody in the world I have respect for more than Ken Biermann. He’s class in every sense of the word and he was my coaching role model. He cares about Crescenta Valley and the people who helped make it what it is now. That’s always something I’ll always remember about him.”