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HAZE Temp: 43 °F Wind: NW at 4 mph Wednesday, December 11, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 20, 2002 Ashland High�s Jim Nagel, who resigned from his head coaching position with the football team on Tuesday, compiled a 170-58 record in 20 years with the Grizzlies. Nagel led Ashland to Class 4A state championships in 1989, �91 and �98. End of an era Ashland High’s Jim Nagel resigns his football post after 20 years at the helm By DON HUNT Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Jim Nagel, who turned a woebegone Ashland High football program into a state power, has resigned after 20 years at the helm. Nagel, 56, huddled with his players at noon Tuesday and gave them the news. "This is something I started to think about after last season — and nothing happened to change my mind (this season)," Nagel said. "It’s time this program goes in a new direction." Nagel guided the Grizzlies to three state championships, two state runner-up finishes, seven Southern Oregon Conference titles and 16 straight playoff appearances in one of the most successful coaching stints in state history. His career record was 170-58, and his career winning percentage of .746 is among the best in state history among coaches with more than 200 games. "He did more with less than any coach I can think of," Grants Pass coach Jeff Weiss said. "To do what he did at one of the smallest (Class 4A) schools in the state is pretty amazing." Nagel said he will stay on as athletic director through the 2003-2004 school year and then likely retire from that post. However, he didn’t rule out a return to coaching, perhaps at the college level or in Europe or Australia, where he has taken all-star teams in the past. "Football will always be in my blood, and I see myself being involved in one way or another," Nagel said. "But for the first couple years, I think I might just sit back on Saturdays and Sundays and be a spectator. "It’s time to relax a little." Nagel admitted his decision to step down was linked to some degree to the Grizzlies’ declining fortunes over the past two years. Ashland went 3-6 in 2001 — Nagel’s first losing season since 1984 — and then 4-5 this past season. "You hear about all these NFL coaches who aren’t in the business anymore because they can’t take the losses," Nagel said. "I guess I’m in that same boat to some extent. "You start to dwell on the losses, and the wins just don’t feel as good as they once did. And you start to question yourself. What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently? What coaching strategy could I have used that would have made the difference? "When I look at this whole thing I feel like a spoiled brat," he added. "You’d rather not be that way, but you get spoiled when you’ve won like we have." Ashland players expressed their gratitude after learning their coach was stepping aside. "He left a legacy as one of the best coaches in Southern Oregon history," senior quarterback Bryan Clevenger said. "He wasn’t a rah-rah type, but he was extremely knowledgeable and confident, and his confidence rubbed off on his players." Added sophomore lineman Simon Weibel: "He’s a very respectable man, and he was a coach you didn’t want to disappoint." While Nagel was known as an offensive mastermind and a stickler for fundamentals, his success can be attributed in large part to his teams’ off-season work. Nagel was the first coach to organize a passing league in Southern Oregon, and his players were regularly hitting the weight room and going through summer conditioning drills soon after he took the Grizzly job in 1983. "He took some of his California roots and put them into practice in Ashland," Weiss said. "He implemented that passing league, and now everyone does it." Nagel and his staff also outworked most other staffs in the early days — holding practices on Saturdays and meetings on Saturdays and Sundays to wade through film and prepare for the next opponent. Nagel put in as many as 50 hours coaching per week during the season, then another 40 in his athletic director’s job. "Quite honestly, I’ve become a better coach because of Jim," Roseburg coach Thurman Bell said. "He gave us so many different things to prepare for that it helped you against other teams. "Jim was awesome for this conference." Nagel admits he doubted he would ever win a state title at Ashland when he took the job, but a special group of athletes — headlined by Chad Cota — came along in 1989, and the Grizzlies completed an unbeaten season with a memorable, 24-22 victory over Roseburg in the state championship game. The Grizzlies would appear in three more state title games over the next four years, adding their second crown in 1991. Nagel’s third and final state title came in 1998, but since then the Grizzlies have managed to win only half of their games. What went wrong? For starters, Ashland’s talent pool isn’t as strong as it once was, perhaps due to a declining enrollment that now stands at 1,150. But Nagel believes the slide has more to do with a lower commitment level from the players. Many don’t choose to work out as diligently in the offseason as former players did, and some of the school’s better athletes aren’t playing football these days, Nagel said. Asked why that was the case, he said: "That’s a good question. It’s one of the things I’ve been scratching my head over." Nagel said no timetable has been set on hiring a new coach. Whoever it is, he’ll have some big shoes to fill. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S