Dismissal of Chou as Eagle Rock’s football coach proves a real stunner

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Jerry Chou, successful Eagle Rock football coach, said he was fired late Friday afternoon by the school’s principal, Salvador Velasco.

Chou, whose teams won four Northern League titles and consecutive City Invitational Division championships in 2005 and 2006, said he was notified by an assistant principal of the impending dismissal an hour before a meeting with Velasco.

Still ,Chou didn’t want to believe it until it happened.

‘He told me that he was going over zero period rosters, the P.E. period the team uses to train, and saw my name on the list. But he said he wanted the head football coach to teach that class,’ said Chou, presenting his version of his meeting with Velasco.

‘I said, ‘What does that mean?’ He said, ‘As of now, you are no longer the selected coach here at Eagle Rock.’ It took me by shock. He asked if I wanted to re-apply.... I’m fired, why re-apply? I said no. I don’t want to coach for a guy like that.’

Velasco could not be reached for comment on Saturday. When contacted, Athletic Director Richard Martinez referred all questions about the firing to Velasco. ‘It was not my decision,’ Martinez said. ‘I can’t speak on it because I was not privy to the conversation between Chou and the principal.’

Chou said he was given no reason for his firing, but speculated on a reason Velasco might have used for his decision.

‘I was late in turning in some fund raising money,’ Chou said. ‘The fund raiser was in August, and I turned the money in two months later.’ Chou said the amount was $4,000.

Chou called Eagle Rock ‘my dream job, the place where I was hoping to end my career.’ He first coached at the school as an assistant in 1994-95, and came back to Eagle Rock as an assistant in 2002. He became head coach in 2004, and compiled a 43-7 record in four seasons.

Eagle Rock finished 10-0 during the regular season last fall, extending a school-record winning streak to 22 games before being upset by Huntington Park in the first round of the Invitational playoffs.

Chou said he would address the team about his dismissal on Monday. He said the football staff members he has been able to contact expressed no interest in applying for the head coach position.

Chou said he will remain as a teacher at Eagle Rock for now, but plans to seek another football coaching position.

-- Mike Terry