Marijon Ancich is a high school football coach at St. Paul High School

St. Paul High School

St. Paul High School can refer to:Canada*St. Paul High School in Nepean, Ontario*St. Paul High School in Niagara Falls, OntarioIndia*St Paul's High School, Hyderabad, Andhra PradeshUnited States...

 in Santa Fe Springs, California

Santa Fe Springs, California

Santa Fe Springs is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. The population was 16,223 at the 2010 census, down from 17,438 at the 2000 census....

. Still coaching, he is already the winningest high school football coach in California history with a record of 344-123-4, as of the 2008 high school football season. In his long career, Ancich's teams have won three CIF titles ('68,'72,'81), two California State titles and 19 league championships.

Personal life

Born in Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

, Marijon Ancich and his family fled to the United States during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Initially arriving in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, the Ancich family settled in Southern California seven years later. He attended San Pedro High School

San Pedro High School

San Pedro High School is a public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District and is located in the San Pedro portion of the city of Los Angeles, California. In 2003, the school celebrated its 100th Anniversary....

, graduating in 1955. He then attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and was a four-year letterman in football and a two-year letterman in track. In football, he played fullback, linebacker, and defensive back, and was a two-time All-CCAA selection. Ancich and his wife Jacquie have seven children.

St Paul High School

In 1959, after college, Ancich started as an assistant coach at St. Paul High School

St. Paul High School

St. Paul High School can refer to:Canada*St. Paul High School in Nepean, Ontario*St. Paul High School in Niagara Falls, OntarioIndia*St Paul's High School, Hyderabad, Andhra PradeshUnited States...

. After being named head coach two years later, he coached at St. Paul from 1961 to 1981 and again from 1993 to 2005, before returning for a third stint in 2009.

Tustin High School

From 1984 to 1992, the Tustin High School

Tustin High School

Tustin High School is a public high school located in Tustin, California, United States. Tustin High was originally founded in 1921 as Tustin Union High School.Tustin High School is officially a Title I school and was a California Distinguished School...

 Tillers under Ancich won four league titles and reached the playoffs seven times. They reached the CIF championship game for two consecutive seasons (1990 and 1991), losing both. The two year combined record was 25-3.

The man

Coach Ancich is known for his unflagging work ethic - beyond coaching for over 45 years, he just retired from his other job. He was a longshoreman for 49 years, a career that was a product of his Slavic heritage and the community of San Pedro. His coaches were told that their free time was between midnight and 6:00 am and that any normal human did not need more than a few hours of sleep each night. His nickname of "Red-Eye" is a testament to this practice coupled with hours of watching film. Players often referred to him as just "The Eye" because he seemed to know what any given player was doing on any given play. He always gives credit to the parents, players, and fellow coaches for his accomplishments - he demanded a great deal of everyone and had the charisma to make everyone believe in what they were trying to do.

In late 2000, Ancich summed up his objective for every player: "To give the young man the opportunity to develop his courage, his loyalty, his poise, the proper weighing of values and the proper control of his emotions in adversity, and in accomplishment."

Championship games

• 1968: St. Paul faced El Rancho in the 4A finale in 1968. El Rancho was held to a 20-20 tie by upstart St. Paul, coached by a young man named Marijon Ancich. That game, also played at the Coliseum, put the St. Paul football program on the map. CIF rules at the time did not permit an overtime period, and the Dons and Swordsmen went into the record books as co-4A champions.

• 1972: St. Paul, which had lost to Bishop Amat 19-6 in a hotly contested game in 1971, came back in 1972 to return the favor and went all the way to the 4A title game. St. Paul beat Western 29-24 at the Coliseum for Ancich's first undisputed championship.

• 1975: St. Paul returned to the 4A title game at the Coliseum in 1975 - its third title-game appearance in eight years - but the Swordsmen lost a 14-13 heartbreaker to Loyola on a missed extra-point late in the 4th quarter.

• 1977: St.Paul survives a sudden death tie breaker vs. South Hills in the quarterfinals en route to the finals where they came up short vs. Los Altos 15-22.

• 1981: The Swordsmen won the title in 1981 with a 30-9 victory over Colton in front of more than 30,000 at Anaheim Stadium. The team goes 14-0.

• 1990: Ancich gets Tustin High School into the championship game for Div. VI, bringing in a record of 13-0. This is the first time since 1933 that the Tillers have reached Game 14. They lost to Sunny Hills 7-3, giving Coach Devaney his 100th victory in front of 11,000 at Orange Coast College. An unprecedented 7 players receive First Team All-CIF awards.

• 1991: The Tillers reach the championship game for the second straight year, after returning only 2 starters from the previous season. They lose again, this time to Coach Marrujo's Valencia Tigers.

• 1998: In the Southern Section Division III championship game, Hart High School intercepted a pass on their own five-yard line with 21 seconds left to preserve a 17-14 victory against St. Paul. Hart was led by eventual Cal Berkeley and NFL quarterback Kyle Boller.

The Coach's Coach

Many of Ancich's former players and assistants have become coaches or head coaches, from high school football to College to the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

, including Kurt Westling of Aliso Niguel High School

Aliso Niguel High School

Aliso Niguel High School is a high school located in the city of Aliso Viejo, California, U.S. Most of its students reside in the communities of Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel. The school is a California Distinguished School, a National Blue Ribbon School, and a New American High School...

 in Aliso Viejo, Dick Bruich

Dick Bruich

Richard "Dick" Bruich is an American retired High School football coach. While active, he led two different Southern California High School football programs to championships. His overall prep head coaching record is 292-84-4.-Personal life:...

 of Fontana Kaiser High School

Kaiser High School

Henry J. Kaiser High School is a WASC-accredited four-year public high school located in Honolulu, Hawaii.-Basic Information:Named after industrialist Henry J. Kaiser , the school opened its doors in 1971, four years after Kaiser's death...

, Robert Oviedo of Wilson High School

Wilson High School

Wilson High School may refer to:* Wilson High School * Wilson High School * Wilson High School * Wilson High School -See also:...

 in Hacienda Heights, Pat Degnan of Quartz Hill High School

Quartz Hill High School

Quartz Hill High School is a public, co-educational high school located in Quartz Hill, California. Founded in 1964, it is the third oldest comprehensive high school in the Antelope Valley Union High School District.-Campus:...

, Dusan Ancich (son) of Villa Park High School

Villa Park High School

Villa Park High School is a suburban public high school in Villa Park, California. The school was built in 1964 and is one of four comprehensive high schools in the Orange Unified School District. The campus serves students residing in Villa Park and portions of the cities of Orange and...

, Richard Smith of the NFL Houston Texans

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

, Tim Lins of Moorpark High School

Moorpark High School

Moorpark High School, located in Moorpark, California, is a public high school in the Moorpark Unified School District and currently has an enrollment of 2,478 students.-History:...

, and former Cal State Northridge and Temescal Canyon High School

Temescal Canyon High School

Temescal Canyon High School is a public high school part of the Lake Elsinore Unified School District. Though it is located in Lake Elsinore, California, it also serves the areas of Canyon Lake and Horsethief Canyon...

coach Bob Burt. A "Family Tree" printed in the St. Paul program lists 116 coaches who either played or coached for Ancich.