Coach Mahaffey Dismissed; Max Miller Hired as Head Football Coach
October 4, 2012
Max Miller, who has coached at Folsom and Cordova high schools, has been named new head coach of the varsity football program, following the dismissal of Christian Mahaffey in the midst of a player controversy.
The day after a heated meeting Monday between parents, players, and coaches, Principal Brian Ginter decided to fire coach Mahaffey as he could no longer perform his head coaching duties without all of these players.
Mahaffey admitted to the Sacramento Bee that he would be unable to coach with the reinstated players on the roster, causing Ginter to let him go.
“I couldn’t coach a group of kids who bullied their way back on the football team,” Mahaffey told the Bee.
The decision was between players and coaches, and Ginter chose players, except for the one-game suspensions all 12 senior who quit will have to serve during the game against Cordova this Friday. The suspensions are for insubordination.
The team will be in full beginning next week when players will prepare for another league game against Whitney High School, the game that Guillermo will have to miss for his baseball showcase.
With the loss of head coach Mahaffey, Rio Americano was quick to hire the interim head coach: Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame coach Max Miller.
Miller’s first coaching job in high school football was at Rio Americano, but now his grandson, junior John Miller, is a key player on the team.
Miller is one of the winningest coaches in Sacramento football history.
The last season that Miller coached high school was in 2010 for Folsom High School, where he led the Bulldogs to a state championship.
The expectations will be nowhere near that high for Max Miller at Rio, but the student body definitely hopes for improvement in the team.
THIS STORY WILL BE UPDATED TODAY WITH AN INTERVIEWS WITH PLAYERS AND COACH MILLER.
Dick Welch • Jul 3, 2021 at 9:30 AM
Coach Miller’s coaching career in 1963, the year Cordova High opened. He was asst. JV football coach and Head JV baseball coach where he coached the team to Cordova’s first league championship in any sport. I was on that team! Get your facts straight.
Dick Welch, class of 1966
Tom Nelson • Oct 28, 2012 at 11:41 AM
In the end everything may work out because everybody got to make their own decisions and live by them.
The player decided to quit to get what he valued, a baseball opportunity.
The other players decided to quit because they valued their teammate more than the coach.
The principal decided that coach did not reflect the values of the school.
The coach decided to quit to get what he valued, not coaching at a school where the players do not value him.
Hopefully the team will find coach Max Miller more compatible with them.
Hopefully coach Mahaffey will find a another team more compatible with him.
It may not be useful to try to find a “right” or “wrong” or a “good” or “bad”.
If that is the way things are, it may be better to just accept them instead of thinking one side should be more like the other side.
Chris Fore • Oct 5, 2012 at 1:18 AM
Here is my take on this situation. http://wp.me/p20AZD-eF
I’m a 13 year football coaching veteran and current Athletic Director from Southern California.