Football:

Editor’s Note: Not all of the details of Glaspy’s return to coaching have been finalized, but he said he’s willing to do anything he can to help wherever he is needed. I expect to get a statement from Glaspy’s lawyer later today, and it will be added to the story.

By Brian Reed-Baiotto

It’s often been said in song lyrics that you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

Those words don’t necessarily ring true for Kevin Glaspy.

You see, in good times and bad, Glaspy has always held a special place in his heart for Covina High School and its student-athletes.

KG, as he called by his friends, graduated from CHS back in 1991 and he earned his college degree in English at Azusa Pacific University in 1995.

That same year, Glaspy was hired as an English teacher at Covina High School at the age of 22, and he’s never left.

KG built an elite track and field program and he’s worn a number of hats for the Colts football program, including head coaching duties in 2023.

He’s also credited with restarting the Covina Vikings youth program back in 2001.

It helps young athletes prepare for life as a student and a football player at the high school level.

For 20 years, Glaspy proudly served as Covina’s athletic director.

But that run came to an end on January 18th.

Five days after an all-star football game was bungled, and with plenty of blame to go around, Glaspy was put on paid leave as they launched an investigation.

As I’ve mentioned in a number of stories, Glaspy was the only one out of approximately a dozen coaches involved to be put under a microscope.

The clusterf*** that was the all-star game had insufficient security and some questioned the transparency as to where the funds went after packing both stands at Covina District Field.

Before a single accusation had been investigated and proven true or false, our friends at the Covina Valley Unified School District elected to arbitrarily strip Glaspy of his duties as the school’s AD, as well as the head football and track coach.

While on paid leave, Glaspy waited on pins and needles as he spent every weekday in a small room at the district office.

To add insult to injury, they wouldn’t even allow him to access his work email.

It all caused KG’s anxiety to go through the roof.

And he had to wonder: Would his 30-year run as a beloved educator, mentor, coach, friend and to many, that of a father figure be wrongfully ripped from underneath him?

The days turned into weeks, and the weeks became months.

However, some 208 days later, Kevin Glaspy has officially been cleared of any wrongdoing, and he’ll be back on the football field as a member of Joe Brown’s staff.

And it couldn’t be better timing.

One year after going 9-3, the Jake Duronslet-led Colts open their season next Friday at Cal High in Whittier.

It goes without saying that Covina High School student-athletes past and present, and their parents exhaled a massive sigh of relief that KG will once again be a major figure on campus as he’s been for three decades.

On a personal note, I’ve been a writer for 25 years, including stints for newspapers in the SGV, IE, OC and Long Beach, and I’ve seen a lot of bad blood and even hatred among coaches who battle year in and year out for area supremacy.

But not Glaspy or those around the Covina/West Covina area.

Even in a down year at CHS, Glaspy genuinely wants the best for Jacob Calderon (South Hills), Marcel Perez (Northview), Mike Maggiore (West Covina), Dominic Farrar (Charter Oak) and their programs.

And that certainly includes the Huskies, Vikings, Bulldogs and Chargers’ players.

Quotable:

Covina football coach, Joe Brown: “We’re excited to have KG back. It will be great for our culture. He can coach multiple positions and he’s the kind of guy that makes sure that all the little things get done right. The kids don’t know he’s back, but they’re going to be excited when they see him at practice today.”

Chino football coach and league rival, Joey LaRosa: “When I heard the news about KG being back at Covina, I had a genuine smile on my face. I have nothing but respect for KG, not only as a coach, but as a man as well. The City of Covina and Covina High School just got a whole lot better with KG being back on campus there. The type of energy, passion, and commitment that he will bring to the football team is unmeasured, and I can’t wait to see it on the field in a few months when we play them.”

Covina coach and teacher, Kevin Glaspy: “I’m excited to be back with my all my staff and students at CHS, and to be able to help serve Joe Brown and the football program.