HS FOOT: Hart DC Rick Herrington: “It was a tough decision.”
HS FOOT: Rick Herrington: “It was a tough decision.”
Hart defensive coordinator Rick Herrington said he nearly broke down today while delivering the news that he is leaving the Indians and his brother, Mike, to join Alemany’s staff and their other brother Dean.
“I told our principal today, and it was very emotional,” Herrington said. “I wasn’t quite in tears but I was feeling it. I’m feeling it now. Emotionally, it’s not very fun.”
Herrington said he talked to Mike on Monday about leaving.
Mike, who will be 50 in March, is the eldest brother. Rick is 47 and Dean is 44. They started to together at Hart and were together from 1989 to 2000, when Dean left.
“I’ve been doing the same thing for 30 years. This is a chance to do something different,” Rick said. “I need to see if my defense can work with a new program, and I want to help Dean out. I just needed a change. I just needed to be somewhere else. I’m sure Mike is upset and OK with it at the same time. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing this.”
Rick will remain at Hart as a teacher.
Alemany principal Frank Ferry believes Herrington’s arrival will prove a major turning point in local high school football.
“You put Dean’s offensive mind and Rick’s defensive mind together, and it’s puts Alemany to a whole other level and makes us one of the top football programs in California,” Ferry said. “Plus, Rick is a great guy. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com