Football: So you want to be the football coach at Oaks Christian?
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Applications are being accepted online for the vacant head football coaching position at Westlake Village Oaks Christian after the retirement of Bill Redell.
Athletic Director Jan Hethcock said offensive coordinator Casey Clausen and defensive coordinator Mark Bates will run the program until a replacement is named.
Hethcock said Redell’s decision was a surprise, since he had two years left on a previous commitment. When Redell came in on Tuesday to tell him of the decision, Hethcock said he questioned Redell whether it had something to do with his health or a parental complaint. But Redell insisted, ‘It was time to go.’
‘Bill is the [school’s] first head coach,’ Hethcock said. ‘I’m the first athletic director. We’ve had a standing lunch for 12 years. I have an empty spot. He’s going to be greatly missed. He put our school on the map.’
Hethcock said that by next week, he’ll start seeing who applies for the position, both from within and outside. He said it’s a ‘fulltime’ football coach position, with no teaching responsibilities.
But there are many duties involved besides coaching football, from delegating responsibilities of the coaching staff to hiring assistants to dealing with media, parents and college recruiters.
Few did it better than Redell, who always seemed to know what to say and how to respond in a mostly pleasant, professional way. That’s going to be a huge challenge for his successor to live up to.
Bates, in a text message, said, ‘Coach Redell has established a top program in a very short time. I greatly appreciate the opportunity he gave me to be part of the process. I plan to take the next several days to pray and seek my family’s input before I submit an application. Oaks Christian is an outstanding school and I am happy to serve the school in whatever capacity the leadership places me.’
-- Eric Sondheimer