Football: These head coaches are bringing in big bucks

Bill Redell and Jon Mack, the football coaches at Westlake Village Oaks Christian and Encino Crespi, are getting paid big bucks not only to coach but also attract attention and raise money for their programs. And they are delivering.

Redell is participating in a roast on May 23 to raise funds for a new synthetic football field. You can get eight tickets for $5,000 and hear Wayne Gretzky and Joe Montana take their shots at Redell.

Mack tops Redell in that he was able to auction off "Dinner with Coach Mack" for $3,500 and $3,200. Apparently, he's well known for his ability to cook spaghetti. Or maybe it's his wife.

Now, if only some City Section coaches could start coming off with some creative fund-raising ideas.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Comments

[Irish]

805 baller, you ride the bench or probably don't even play clown. DLS has nothing to prove to you guys. 19 straight CIF titles, 5 National Championships, only team to play in State bowl games every year since it started. What can you possibly say to even compete with that. Don't worry about Oaks Christian, because Gardena Serra is the team to beat in your division then worry about even getting selected to play in state championship.

[805BALLER]

YES THE WHS OCHS GAME WE KNOW IS GOING TO BE SOLD OUT FORSURE AND MAYBE 11,000 AND IT MAY SHOW ON ESPN.

MY TEAM COULD OF BEAT DE LA SALLE .CRENSHAW WAS A 1 MAN TEAM AFTER THERE RB GOT HURT THEY WERE DONE LIKE US WE HAVE MANY WEAPONS FOR EXAMPLE IN OUR CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGAINST MOORPARK ARE STARTING QB INJURED HIS SHOULDER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE THIRD QUARTER WE HAD ARE FRESHMEN QB WIT NO VARSITY EXPRIENCE CONTORL THE GAME AND LIKE THE WEEK BEFORE AGAINST ST. BONAVENTURE THIS TIME ARE FRESHMEN LEADING US FROM OUR OWN 12 YRD LINE WIT 5 MNS LEFT IN THE GAME AND GIVE US THE GAME WINNIG DRIVE WITH A GREAT 2 YRD RUN TO WIN THE GAME WE ARE CLUTCH AND RETURNIN ABOUT 10 STARTERS ON DEFENSE AND OFFENSE COMBINED SO WERE STACK. ARE TEAM WAS DEFINATLEY BETTER THAN CRENSAHW WE PLAY IN THE BEST LEAGUE IN THE COUNTRY NOW PUTTING OAKS CHRISTIAN AND ST. BONAVENTURE. WERE THE TEAM TO BEAT FOR THIS UPCOMING SEASON.

[Don't believe it....]

We need one of those "nutrionalists" at Crenshaw. Yes.....a nutrionalist ....Eric

[Where's Crenshaw Nation?]

OK, you've just provoked Crenshaw Nation. I'm waiting to see his response. Please don't try to re-write history. Westlake was good in 2009, Crenshaw was better. Who will be best in 2010? We'll see. I know they should start selling tickets for Westlake-Oaks Christian right now because there will be too many people trying to get into Oaks Christian. Let's see who looks good over the summer. But don't get Crenshaw Nation going because he's good with the one-liners.

[805baller]

i play for westlake high all im saying is we are going to handle ochs in the regular season and win the league and cif championship and if we dont get robbed again like last year wen crensahw got chosen we can win state.were the best team in this state i say. ochs is over rated. westlake warriors is the new king of the village.

[Mayberry Dad]

I think some of you are being a little overly sensitive. Good article Eric, keep up the great reporting....

[chris hollywood]

eric took a pot shot at no one. leave that to me.

[driveon]

City athletics recently needed its own bailout program when the Dodgers, Galaxy, LA84, and Nike all made sizable donations just to help keep a lot of programs alive. They almost lost coaching stipends. Even with that there will still be a travel fee asked of a lot of students, and for some, that will be a considerable expense for some families. Maybe if quite a few city coaches had staff comprised of guys like Clay Matthews, Casey Clausen, Wendell Tyler, and have guys like Joe Montana volunteer to assist, they would have time to plan and organize such extravagant events. A lot of city coaches have a tough enough job as it is trying to 1)keep their kids in school 2)keep them eligible 3)just make sure that they eat. Must be nice sitting in your ivory tower denigrating city coaches by telling them what they SHOULD be doing. Most of the time you are spot on in your articles ES. This is not one of those times.

[city section]

I usually enjoy reading your articles but to say,
"Now, if only some City Section coaches could start coming off with some creative fund-raising ideas" in comparison to what Oaks and Crespi do is a disservice to city section coaches. Can and should city section coaches come up with some creative fund raising ideas? Yes, but to use affluent private schools as the examples is unrealistic and unfair. The private school coaches you mentioned are compensated very well for their jobs and for that are expected to do more activities outside the realm of everyday coaching.

You would have been much better citing examples of fund-raising done by coaches at urban or rural schools with limited financial resources at their disposals - not behemoth private schools where a father, booster, alumni can write a check for 5k.

[es]

I certainly wasn't taking a shot at City coaches. I was pointing out that creative fund-raising is needed these days.

[City Coach]

Wow Eric! Taking a shot at City coaches? Might want to be careful about insulting the spoon that feeds you. Remember, you work for a sinking media outlet so you might want to make, and/or keep the contacts you have.
Remember, unlike the Crespi's, Alemany's, Loyola's, Bonaventure's and Oaks Christian's of the world... Other schools are limited to thier parent support group and economic resources. They dont all have parents who have the funds host large dinners and have champagne flowing from the sky's. They struggle to feed thier own families. It's simple economics in our society.
Kudos to those coaches for utilitizing the resources they have. But you have to have the resources in order to utilize them.
Many Southern Section schools share the same frustration's as City School's. Guess those players of those schools are at a competitive disadvantage now arent they?
You do a great service to HS sports Eric. But keep your judgements and pot shots to yourself. That same service you do for HS sports, coaches across the country do it for the kids and not the paycheck.

[Nails]

Yeah right!, like who can afford to pay that for a meal and chat. These wealthy parents with their private coaches and nutritionalists and year round training and competition are ruining H.S. and youth sports. I guess that's life, the rich get richer and laugh at the rest of us as we struggle to keep up.

[socalballer]

Eric, you have to get off the private schools jock strap. Can you write something meaningful.

[Coach B]

That's funny!! I hardly think the city section coaches can get inner city parents to pay $3,000+ for a dinner. Oaks Christian and Westlake are private schools!