Ed Croson announces his retirement as football coach at Chaminade

Ed Croson, who enjoyed great success coaching high school football in the San Fernando Valley, announced his retirement as head coach at West Hills Chaminade on Wednesday, ending a 13-year run that saw the Eagles become one of the best teams in the Mission League on a weekly basis.

“What? Oh my God,” said Gardena Serra coach Scott Altenberg upon hearing the news. “That makes me sad. He’s an amazing coach. I enjoyed our rivalry. It was always fun to play him because you found out your weaknesses and he’d exploit them.”

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Croson’s best team was 2013, when the Eagles won Southern Section and state titles.

Croson was previously head coach at Birmingham, winning four City Section championships.

David Machuca, an assistant coach since 2017 and in his second stint at Chaminade, has been named Croson’s replacement. Croson made the announcement while speaking to his team Wednesday afternoon.

Machuca, who has worked in the admissions office while serving as associate head coach, said Croson has been mentoring him since his return and will remain a consultant to the program. Machuca, 37, also was head coach at Burbank Bell-Jeff and an assistant at Glendale College.

Croson, 64, said, “We’ve been working on this for a couple of years. I was giving more and more responsibilities to David and the position coaches because I knew there comes a point the rigors and demands of the job become too much. I’m getting too old for this.”

After Machuca was announced as coach, players clapped and hollered. That’s always important in replacing someone who is considered a coaching legend in the San Fernando Valley.