Rosales Replaces James as Ventura College Coach

George Rosales, an assistant football coach at Ventura College for the past two seasons, has been named to replace Dick James, who resigned last week.

James, who also served as head coach from 1970-79, cited his failure to produce a winning program the previous three seasons as reason for his departure. Rosales said Friday that James will remain on the Ventura coaching staff as a “valuable assistant.” In addition, Phil Passno, the Pirates’ head coach from 1982-86 and in 1988-89, also will rejoin the staff as an assistant.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” Rosales said. “When I came (to Ventura) two years ago, I intended to finish my career as an assistant coach. But when Dick resigned, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

Rosales, 49, was a head coach at Burroughs High from 1980-84, but this will be his first stint as a head coach at the junior college level. One of Rosales’ first goals will be to create a more disciplined atmosphere at Ventura.

“We’ve got to establish a whole different aura and a whole new idea about what Ventura College football is,” Rosales said. “Whether it’s football or academics, things are going to get tougher around here. Players are going to have to be more dedicated than they were in the past.”

In his first stint at Ventura, James’ teams compiled a 57-34 record and won two Western State Conference titles, but the Pirates were 8-22--including a 2-8 mark in ‘92--the past three years.

Rosales, a 1961 graduate at Downey Pius X High, began his coaching career in 1968 at Mt. Carmel High in Los Angeles.

He served as an assistant for two years before moving to assistant positions at Burroughs (1970-73) and Glendale College (1974-76). After three seasons as a Burroughs assistant (1977-79), he became head coach.

Under Rosales, the Indians won three Foothill League titles and advanced to the 1981 Northwestern Conference title game before losing to Antelope Valley, 24-14.

Rosales was an assistant at St. Francis from 1986-88, then returned to Burroughs for the 1989 season.

He is a full-time health and physical education instructor at Ventura and also serves as an assistant on the men’s and women’s track teams, working with the weight-event performers.