Edison of Huntington Beach head coach Dave White holds CIF Southern Section Division III title plaque after Chargers defeated La Mirada. Photo: Mark Tennis.
It was quite a sendoff for retiring head coach Dave White from Edison of Huntington Beach, who capped a 31-year career with a CIF Southern Section title. White’s not yet done with all of the accolades, however, as he’s now been selected as the 2016 Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year. White joins a list that goes back more than 100 years and is the first one on the all-time state list from Orange County since Bob Johnson of Mission Viejo in 2001.
To read about this year’s Medium Schools and Small Schools State Coaches of the Year, CLICK HERE
Note: We hope you enjoy this free post. Cal-Hi Sports All-State Football content that will be for Gold Club members include second, final list of nominees plus second team, third team overall and All-State Underclass. The free posts will be first team overall and first team small schools and medium schools. If you want to check out all of our rankings content, all of our all-state content and state record updates, you can check it out for just $9.99 to cover a three-month subscription. For info, CLICK HERE.
Although it wasn’t the absolute dream scenario of going out with a CIF state title, it was still hard to beat the way that retiring Edison of Huntington Beach head football coach Dave White concluded his impressive 31-year career.
White’s Chargers not only won the CIF Southern Section Division III title and finished among the state’s top 15 ranked teams, they did it in a way in which the players showed how much their coach has meant to them.
“He’s been just like a father figure to all of us,” said all-state candidate center Mike Saffell after Edison’s 44-24 win in the section final over La Mirada. “It’s like we come out here and are making our dad proud.”
Coach White also had the pleasure of coaching all three of his sons (Matt, Hunter and Garrett) at Edison. Matt is now a coach himself in Idaho. Garrett, the youngest, is currently a student/player at Yale. Photo: Ronnie Flores.
For not only this season and for what he’s done over the years, White has now been selected as the 2016 Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year. He joins an honor roll that dates back more than 100 years, but is the first from Orange County to be chosen since Mission Viejo’s Bob Johnson in 2001. There were back-to-back honorees from Orange County for 1993 and 1994 when Los Alamitos’ John Barnes and Mater Dei’s Bruce Rollinson (two whose teams White battled many times over the years) were picked, but it goes back to Bill Workman of Edison for 1980 for the one before Barnes.
“That’s just great and really appreciate it,” White said when contacted on Thursday about being this year’s honoree. “I’ve always enjoyed your work at Cal-Hi Sports and what you did before with Student Sports.”
Being on the same list as Workman should make White feel especially proud. That was the head coach at Edison when White began coaching at the school as an assistant. He took over for Workman in 1986 when Workman left to become head coach at Orange Coast College.
“He was like a second father to me,” White said of Workman, echoing the same comments his own players would have for him many years later. “I was a senior at Edison in Bill’s first year as varsity coach in 1973 and got to come back and coach with him in 1979. He was mentor in many ways and prepared me to be the head coach. He still comes to our games.”
White went on after his own graduation from Edison to quarterback Orange Coast College’s 1975 national JC championship team and then played at Oregon State. He began coaching at Edison two years after receiving his special education degree from Azusa Pacific University.
Since taking over for Workman in 1986, White has racked up a 231-115-3 record that will be firmly planted on the all-time state wins list for years to come. He’s also won 13 Sunset League titles, including nine of the last 11, plus two CIFSS crowns. Edison’s previous section title before this one came in 2012.
Perhaps White’s best teams, however, were the two that lost in title games in the top division of the CIFSS playoffs. The Chargers were 11-0-1 entering the 2001 final and lost 42-21 to a Long Beach Poly team that had 28 eventual Division I college players. Then in 2009, Edison lost a chance to be in the CIF Open Division state final (would have played De La Salle of Concord) when it was beaten 16-6 in the CIFSS final by Servite of Anaheim. Earlier in the season, White’s team had defeated Servite 23-9 and entered the rematch at 13-0. Both of White’s 2001 and 2009 teams ended with No. 6 final overall state rankings.
White’s teams in the past few seasons have become dominant in the Sunset League, which is not easy since Los Alamitos, Fountain Valley, Newport Harbor and others also are in the same league. Photo: edisonchargers.com.
This year’s team slowly built momentum after losing 42-0 in the preseason to Mater Dei of Santa Ana, which was No. 1 in the state for much of the season. Prior to the win over La Mirada in the CIFSS D3 final, the Chargers defeated Newbury Park (49-24), Buena Park (38-21) and Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley (32-28). They fell short after winning the section title to San Clemente 39-35 in the CIF Southern California Division 2-AA final when the Tritons scored with just 48 seconds left. San Clemente then went on to win the CIF D2-AA state title with a 22-14 victory vs. Del Oro of Loomis.
“Yeah, I did sense that the kids were trying to win since it was my last season,” White said. “I didn’t talk about it but parents and players did and of course I saw the signs. I kept telling them to win for themselves. It was a pretty special year.”
The next stage of White’s life will be spent watching his son Garrett play at Yale as well as perhaps going to some of his other son’s Matt’s games as a coach at Borah High in Boise, Idaho.
“I’d probably still be coaching here next season, but to see Garrett play at Yale requires traveling on Friday nights,” White said. “I’m already missing it (being head coach), but looking forward to spending more time with my sons, especially during the season.”
White also didn’t rule out continuing to coach at some point as an assistant.
“After three years or so, it’s something I probably will do, either back here at Edison or maybe with my son’s team,” he said. “I was telling my wife (Lytie) the other day that since I was five years old I’ve either played (football) or coached it and now I’m 61. I definitely love it. It’s what I do.”
Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year
All-Time Honor Roll
(All selections by CalHiSports.com)
(Based on research by the late Nelson Tennis, our founder, prior to 1979)
Last year’s honoree Mike Janda holds one of the CCS title plaques his teams have won. Photo: Mark Tennis.
2016 — Dave White (Edison, Huntington Beach) 13-2
2015 — Mike Janda (Bellarmine, San Jose) 13-2
2014 — Kurt Bruich (Redlands East Valley) 15-1
2013 — Ed Croson (Chaminade, West Hills) 14-2
2012 — Ernie Cooper (Granite Bay) 13-3
2011 — Mike Papadopoulos (Vacaville) 13-1
2010 — Earl Hansen (Palo Alto) 14-0
2009 — Jim Benkert (Westlake, Westl. Vill.) 14-0
2008 — Mike Alberghini (Grant, Sacramento) 14-0
2007 — Ed Buller (Oak Grove, San Jose) 12-1
2006 — Bob McAllister (Carlsbad) 10-0-2
2005 — Harry Welch (Canyon, Canyon Country) 13-1
2004 — Matt Logan (Centennial, Corona) 13-1
2003 — Steve Grady (Loyola, Los Angeles) 11-3
2002 — Kevin Rooney (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks) 14-0
2001 — Bob Johnson (Mission Viejo) 14-0
2000 — Jerry Jaso (Poly, Long Beach) 14-0
1999 — Mike Herrington (Hart, Newhall) 14-0
1998 — Randy Blankenship (Clovis West, Fresno) 12-1
1997 — John Beam (Skyline, Oakland) 12-0
1996 — Dave Silveira (Alhambra, Martinez) 13-0
1995 — Larry Welsh (Atascadero) 14-0
1994 — Bruce Rollinson (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) 14-0
1993 — John Barnes (Los Alamitos) 14-0
1992 — Mark Paredes (Bishop Amat, La Puente) 15-0
1991 — Herb Meyer (El Camino, Oceanside) 13-1
1990 — Pat Preston (Bakersfield) 13-0
1989 — Dick Bruich (Fontana) 14-0
1988 — Norm Dow (Live Oak, Morgan Hill) 11-0-1
1987 — Bennie Edens (Point Loma, San Diego) 13-0
1986 — Bob Ladouceur (De La Salle, Concord) 12-0
1985 — Charlie Wedemeyer (Los Gatos) 13-1
1984 — Tim Simons (Clovis) 12-0-1
1983 — Ron Calcagno (St. Francis, Mountain View) 13-0
1982 — Wayne Schneider (Tracy) 12-1
1981 — Marijon Ancich (St. Paul, Santa Fe Springs) 14-0
1980 — Bill Workman (Edison, Huntington Beach) 14-0
1979 — Ron Lancaster (Cordova, Rancho Cordova) 13-0
1978 — Jerry Deuker (Pinole Valley, Pinole) 11-1
1977 — Chris Ferragamo (Banning, Wilmington) 11-1-1
1976 — Benny Pierce (Saratoga) 13-0
1975 — Ed Lloyd (Cardinal Newman, Santa Rosa) 12-0
1974 — Dick Haines (Vista) 13-0
1973 — Dwayne DeSpain (Los Altos, Hacienda Heights) 12-0-1
1972 — Bob Hitchcock (Temple City) 13-0
1971 — Gene Vollnogle (Carson) 12-0
1970 — Jack Neumeier (Granada Hills) 11-1
1969 — Forrest Klein (Alameda) 9-0
1968 — Tom Burt (Los Altos) 9-0
1967 — Clare Van Hoorebeke (Anaheim) 12-1
1966 — Ernie Johnson (El Rancho, Pico Rivera) 13-0
1965 — Dick Coury (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) 12-0-1
1964 — John Hanna (Bellarmine, San Jose) 10-0
1963 — Paul Briggs (Bakersfield) 9-0
1962 — Bob Berry (Willow Glen, San Jose) 9-0
1961 — Joe Marvin (Sequoia, Redwood City) 9-0
1960 — Sam Cathcart (Santa Barbara) 11-1
1959 — Dave Levy (Long Beach Poly) 11-0
1958 — Paul Huebner (Banning, Wilmington) 11-0
1957 — Johnny Johnson (Oroville) 9-0
1956 — Dick Hill (Downey) 12-0-1
1955 — Duane Maley (San Diego) 11-0-1
1954 — Aaron Wade (Centennial, Compton) 10-1-1
1953 — Milt Axt (Poly, San Francisco) 10-0
1952 — Fred Moffett (Berkeley) 9-0
1951 — Hod Ray (Palo Alto) 8-0
1950 — Ernie Busch (Merced) 11-0
1949 — Bob Patterson (Vallejo) 10-0
1948 — Harry Edelson (Fremont, Los Angeles) 9-0-1
1947 — Jim Sutherland (Santa Monica) 12-0
1946 — George Hobbs (Alhambra) 12-0
1945 — Colon Kilby (Vallejo) 10-0
1944 — Bert LaBrucherie (Los Angeles) 7-0
1943 — Larry Siemering (Stockton) 10-0
1942 — Brick Johnson (Piedmont) 7-0
1941 — Roy Richert (Castlemont, Oakland) 5-0-1
1940 — Clarence Schutte (Santa Barbara) 9-1
1939 — Palmer Muhl (Woodland) 8-0
1938 — Ras Johnson (Galileo, San Francisco) 8-0-1
1937 — Jim Blewett (Manual Arts, Los Angeles) 8-0
1936 — Harlan Lee (Red Bluff) 7-0-1
1935 — Paul Hungerford (Poly, San Francisco) 9-0
1934 — Orian Landreth (Long Beach Poly, Long Beach) 12-1
1933 — Dick Arnett (Inglewood) 8-2-1
1932 — Harry Shipkey (Salinas) 11-0
1931 — Tex Oliver (Santa Ana) 13-0
1930 — John Price (Bonita, La Verne) 10-0
List continues back to 1896 in CalHiSports.com State Record Book & Almanac.
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
