Born: July 7, 1947 in Long Beach, California
St. Francis High School 1965
Glendale College 1965 – 1966
University of Washington – 1969 -BA
UCLA – 1971 – MS
At St. Francis HS in La Canada Flintridge, California, George lettered in football and played on two C.I.F.-S.S. “AAA” championship football teams that went a combined 25-1 during the 1963 and 1964 seasons while also winning consecutive Santa Fe League championships. He was named to the 1964 First Team All-C.I.F. “AAA-AA” team for his play as a Center. In the year 2000, in celebration of the Millennium, the Pasadena Star-News named him as the Center on their 1960’s All-Decade All-San Gabriel Valley team.
After attending and playing football at Glendale College, he finally fulfilled a long-time dream by accepting a football scholarship from the University of Washington in Seattle.
After graduating from the University of Washington, George returned to Southern Califomia in January of 1970 and accepted his first teaching position as a long-term substitute teacher at Washington H.S. in Los Angeles. At the same time he started working on a Masters degree at UCLA, which he would attain in 1971.
In September of 1970, he accepted a full-time teaching position at Thousand Oaks H.S. and began his coaching career as an assistant football coach for the legendary Joe Howell and as a baseball coach as well. During George’s eight years with the Lancers football program, he helped coach five league championship squads. He coached lower level baseball at T.O.H.S. for four seasons winning two league crowns.
In September of 1978, George became the first Head Football Coach in Westlake H.S. history During his 11 years leading the football team, the Warriors won three league championships. He also coached two seasons of lower level baseball and one year of track for the Warriors, producing one Girls Track title.
In the Fall of 1989. George began teaching and coaching at Rio Mesa H.S. in order to coach his two sons, Andrew and Michael. He worked as an assistant for Hall-of-Fame coach John Reardon in football for five seasons and for Hall-of-Fame coach Brian FitzGerald in track for 13 years where the Spartans won seven Boys and several Girls league championships. The 1990 and 1991 Rio Mesa H.S. Girls Track teams also won C.I.F. championships.
In 1993 he became the Spartans Head Football Coach, a position he held through the 2000 season when he thought that he had retired from coaching football.
In 2001, a late night call from Hall-of-Fame coach and good friend Rick Scott landed him a position as Defensive Coordinator at Buena H.S. The Bulldogs would go to the C.I. F. playoffs in each of the next three season.
The 2004 season saw George back as an assistant football and track coach at Rio Mesa H.S. During this last tour of duty with the Spartans, Rio Mesa won three football league championships and made a trip to the CIF. semi-finals in 2005.
In 2013, he joined the Newbury Park H.S. football program as a walk-on J.V. coach where the 2014 team won the inaugural Camino League title.
In the Spring of 2008, after retiring as a teacher, George fulfilled a promise that he had made to Rick Scott and found a new way to fuel his passion for both American football and traveling as he tried to help the game grow in Europe during six more coaching campaigns. He spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons with Italy’s Catania Elephants. In 2010, he coached Sweden’s Hasslehold Hurricanes while in 2012 he guided Switzerland’s Thunn Tigers. The 2012-13 season with the France’s Bron-Villeurbane Falcons saw the club go a perfect 12-0 in winning the French Division Ill national championship. In 2015, he coached Spain’s Murcia Cobras.
Among the awards that have been bestowed on George are: Ventura County Football Staff-of-the-year 1979, 1980, 2003, 2004 and 2014
Southern California Football Coaches Association, Board Member 1980-1988, President 1985
Ventura County Football Coaches Association, President 1981-2007
C.I.F. Football Advisory Committee, 1984-1986
C.I.F.-S.S. inaugural Champion of Character Award, 2004
Oxnard Union High School District Superintendent’s Inspirational Service Award, 1999
Rio Mesa High School Teacher of the Year, 1991
St. Francis High School Athletic Hall of Fame, 2003
Westlake High School Football Hall of Fame, 2004
To sum up, his Ventura County high school coaching career, George has coached 44 seasons of football, 14 seasons of Boys and Girls track and six seasons of baseball. In Europe he has coached American football for six seasons. He has helped coach a total of 32 league championship squads and two C.I.F. championship teams.
George is happy that during his 64 sports seasons of coaching in Ventura County, 45 of those seasons were as an assistant coach where he has been able to focus his love of the sport with the opportunity to work with literally thousands of hard working, dedicated athletes.
He is proud to be inducted to the Ventura County Sports Hall-of-Fame as a representative of the many, many assistant coaches in all sports who labor coaching a sport that they love, out for the limelight, and for the purest of reasons.
Finally, a large part of this induction honor must be shared with his wife Laurie and sons Andre w and Michael who have always been supportive of George’s efforts.
Laurie, it must be said, has been the consummate coach’s wife throughout his career.