Burt Resigns as CSUN Coach

NORTHRIDGE —  Bob Burt failed to hold back tears when he spoke to the Cal State Northridge football team for the last time Wednesday.

The Northridge coach of the past nine seasons shook hands, wished everyone well and said it was for the best that he accept a job at a high school in Lake Elsinore. To some, he didn’t sound completely sincere.

“I don’t think his heart was in it,” said defensive back James (Scoody) Woods. “I don’t think he really wanted to leave.”

Burt, 53, said the problems and frustration associated with running the shoestring NCAA Division I-AA program forced the decision.

After meeting with Northridge administrators Wednesday to discuss his desire for better funding, Burt realized little more was forthcoming and accepted an offer from an obscure school in rural Riverside County.

Burt took a teaching and coaching job at Temescal Canyon High, a four-year-old school that fielded a varsity team for the second time last fall. His resignation is effective Friday. His contract did not expire until Dec. 31.

“From a coaching standpoint, from a professional standpoint, from a quality-of-life standpoint, it’s going to be good for me and I hope it’s good for the kids I leave behind,” Burt said.

Burt is one of two coaches in Northridge history with a winning record. In nine years, his Northridge teams were 49-46, but the Matadors haven’t had a winning season since 1990.

Burt last coached high school at Garden Grove Santiago in 1974. He was named coach at now-defunct U. S. International in 1975.

The circle is complete and Burt has become the rarest of the rare: A coach from a four-year college who quit to take a prep job. Two years ago, Burt coached against San Diego State and Heisman Trophy candidate Marshall Faulk. Next season he’ll face fuzzy-cheeked kids from Elsinore High.

“This isn’t an ego thing,” Burt said.

Northridge Athletic Director Bob Hiegert said a nationwide search for a replacement will begin immediately.

The status of the coaching staff Burt leaves behind is unsettled. Rich Lopez and Dale Bunn are full-time assistants who must reapply for their position for next fall, Hiegert said. There are no guarantees that a new coach would retain them.

The pair already weathered considerable uncertainty when a student fee referendum passed earlier this month and saved the program from elimination. Now this.

“I guess we talk to Bob Hiegert and see what he has in mind for us,” Bunn said.

The contracts of Bunn and Lopez expire at the end of the spring semester.

Many in the program learned over the weekend that Burt was under consideration for the Temescal Canyon position.

“It’s a bummer,” said Scott Norton, a part-time assistant for the past six years. “He treated me like a son and gave me a college job.

“But sometimes, change is good. With the things that have happened lately, maybe it’s time for a new direction.”

The past two years were rife with tumult and controversy. In 1993, the team boycotted a practice in a show of protest over the school’s lack of a meal plan. Last fall, 16 players skipped practice for a variety of reasons, including growing frustration over limited scholarship money.

Jonathan Beauregard, a senior lineman, was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder last fall.

Football carried a price tag of $350,000 last fall, Hiegert said. Burt enumerated four reasons that ultimately prompted him to resign, all of which centered on the department’s level of support:

* Scholarships: Northridge competes in the American West Conference, a cost-containment alignment with a 20-scholarship maximum. The Matadors were expected to receive a boost in departmental scholarships from 14 to 20. Of the increase, Burt said: “I’m not sure it’s significantly better.”

* Squad limits: Because of gender-equity requirements, the football team’s size will be limited to 65 players next fall. Northridge finished 1994 with 72 players. Burt said it would be “very difficult” to win under those circumstances.

* Contracts: All Northridge coaches were told this week that contracts will not be renewed on a long-term basis. After consecutive losing seasons and experiencing the fallout from the earthquake and fee referendum, Burt said he needed more time to rebuild.

* Priority: In Northridge’s pecking order, football and a handful of other sports have been designated as second-tier priorities behind baseball, softball, and men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. Burt wanted football to be given the same chance to succeed.

Asked what it would have taken for him to stay at Northridge, Burt said: “Just the opposite of the four things we discussed.”

Burt underscored the financial side of his decision when he gave players the word.

“He said he didn’t want to go through another year of telling guys, ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t help you (with scholarship aid),’ ” Woods said.

Last fall, Temescal Canyon finished 6-5 and made the Southern Section Division VIII playoffs.

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Burt’s Record

Bob Burt’s record as a college football head coach:

School Yr W L Pct. U.S. Int’l ’75 6 4 .600 CSUN ’86 8 3 .727 CSUN ’87 7 4 .636 CSUN ’88 6 5 .545 CSUN ’89 6 5 .545 CSUN ’90 7 4 .636 CSUN ’91 3 7 .300 CSUN ’92 5 5 .500 CSUN ’93 4 6 .400 CSUN ’94 3 7 .300 Totals 55 50 .524