“Good fellows are a dime a dozen, but an aggressive leader is priceless.” — Army football coach Red Blaik
During five seasons at the helm of Marana High School football, Willie Dudley had to be aggressive at times.
But his leadership of the Tigers was priceless, and for more than that one reason.
One thing is obvious: Dudley cares for his athletes, and is humble to the point of self-effacing.
Dudley, who resigned his position this month, takes none of the credit for a remarkable turnaround from a 1-9 record in 2004 to a 7-4 record last season.
“I’m a really good coach when I have really good players,” Dudley said with a touch of humor. “Most of those kids went to school to play college football.”
Although this year’s team went 4-6 and missed out on the playoffs, the coach believes his team make positive steps throughout the season, some not involving football.
“The kids were good students this season,” he said proudly.
As for what happened on the gridiron, the coaching staff “knew this was a rebuilding year,” said Dudley.
“But after the Peoria game, we’d lost four in a row and we knew the offense had to change,” he added. “We lost a lot of our receivers and had to change gears and change directions, so we put in the option.”
The players responded to Dudley’s new direction by reeling off three straight wins and pulling to 3-4, one game away from .500, before losses to playoff-bound Catalina Foothills and CDO put an end to playoff ambitions.
“(Running back) Michael Kivi was the MVP of our team this season,” said Dudley. “(Linebacker) Vince Roblez did a nice job for us on defense, too.
“This season, the players were just really good kids to be around,” he added.
If being around many “good kids” was one of the things Dudley enjoyed while coaching at Marana, being around one in particular played heavily into his decision to step down.
That player is quarterback son Chaz, currently in eighth grade at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, and in the process of deciding whether to attend high school at Pusch Ridge, CDO, Ironwood Ridge or Mountain View.
“I want to spend some time watching or coaching him,” said Dudley.
Whatever school Chaz chooses, Dudley would not mind being an assistant on the staff. No positions have been offered so far.
“We don’t need to make any decisions for a while,” said Dudley.
The coach is more concerned with helping Chaz make the right school choice.
“It’s a hard decision, there’s a social part of it, an academic part and the athletic part,” he said.
Dudley will still teach physical education at Marana, and has no plans to leave players without his services, should they need it.
“I will still be there, and I’m still invested in them being successful,” said Dudley. “If the incoming coach needs it, I’ll help in the weight room, or something else if they want me to.”
Dudley admits that he will miss actively coaching, naming two consecutive playoff appearances (in 2006 and 2007), and “getting kids involved in the program” as bright spots. Low turnout plagued the team for years.
In the humble fashion that just seems to be Dudley’s way, the coach is hoping that Marana’s football future might be brighter without him.
“You know, I hope they hire somebody that is a way better football coach than I am,” said Dudley. “Someone that can take it to levels that I couldn’t.”
