High School Sports:

Photo credit to LaVerneOnline.com

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

When Eric Podley announced his intentions to retire this past week, the overwhelming reaction was that of appreciation for his 40 years of meaningful service in education, which included roles as a social studies teacher, football coach, athletic director and assistant principal.

And in spite of all the success he’s earned over the past four decades, his colleagues, friends and peers say Podley will be remembered more for being a great man.

Podley won a CIF title as an assistant coach & offensive coordinator at Muir in 1989.

He also made stops at Mater Dei, Servite and Chino before getting his first head coaching opportunity at Northview.

After a decade of leading the Vikings’ football program, Podley finished off his illustrious career with 20 years at Bonita.

He served many roles at the La Verne school, most notably that of head football coach, athletic director and assistant principal.

Podley racked up 76 victories between 2000-2011, and his postseason resume included a trip to the CIF-SS Southeast Division title game in 2010.

West Covina would score late and claim a 37-33 victory, but the Bearcats had an impressive run with playoff wins over California (51-6), Muir (49-25) and La Serna (21-16).

Podley’s teams defeated San Dimas eight times in the annual Smudgepot rivalry game, and he was never too big to take advice, even if it came from one of his players.

When asked about moments that stick with him to this day, he obviously mentioned making a trip to the CIF championship game, but Podley also praised a backup quarterback named Greg Spathias.

Spathias was forced into action when star quarterback Garrett Pendleton was injured.

For more than a month, Spathias did an outstanding job of leading the Bearcats offense, and when it was time for Pendleton to return to duty, Spathias took it in stride without a single complaint.

That meant and continues to mean a lot to Podley.

We reached out to a number of elite football coaches around the SGV and they described Podley as a class act, and a highly intelligent man, with an unmatched work ethic.

Podley has a (good) reputation for getting far more out of a player than even that athlete thought possible.

When he got to Bonita 20 years ago, technology and access to information was light years behind what it is now.

In fact, Podley recounted his brutal self-imposed schedule during football season.

“I don’t think people realize that in the early days, we spent seven days a week and late nights preparing for our next opponent. I always tried to be as efficient as possible, so my staff could spend more time with their families at home.”

Podley was also well known and respected for his ability to devise an effective game plan for his undersized Bearcats.

Week in and week out, his attention to detail, ability to motivate his players and surround himself with the best coaches possible allowed Bonita not only the opportunity to compete, it also helped lead the program to more than their share of victories over teams with superior talent and depth.

Steve Bogan, who won four CIF titles at South Hills, just finished his second year at the helm of the Bonita football program, and among other compliments, he said that Podley would always put a new wrinkle into his playbook each week, which made it possible for the Bearcats to catch an opponent off guard.

Part of the reason that Bonita displayed so much character and grit on the field was because of the example of toughness and perseverance set by their head coach.

Case in point: during the 2010 season, the Bearcats were having their best year in over a decade.

Podley, however, was seriously ill and the root of his pain was undiagnosed for far too long.

He went to see a doctor and they suggested surgery, but Podley and his wife Kris wanted to get a second opinion.

And that decision turned out to be a wise one.

He was finally diagnosed with a staph infection in his back, and despite the misery and pain, Podley was out on the field every day of the week.

The only difference was he needed to use a walker to get around.

Podley had to spend six days in the hospital, including Christmas Eve, and that was followed by 40 days of taking antibiotics.

Podley was able to get through those tough times thanks to his wife and children (Anthony and Gina).

His family means everything to Podley and he acknowledged in a phone interview this past week that he has guilt for not being home as much as he would have liked.

Thankfully, though, his wife Kris is just as tough as her husband and she’s able to multitask

Mr. and now Mrs. Podley were introduced by a friend in 1979, as both attended Loyola Marymount University.

On their first date, Podley took her to the Warehouse Restaurant in Marina Del Rey and Kris was immediately drawn to Eric because of his intellect, knowledge of history and English Literature and the fact that both of them love to read.

They would marry in 1982.

Kris Podley is every bit as impressive as her husband.

She manages social workers for a health care company called DaVita, and they help patients at a dialysis center.

Kris and Eric welcomed Anthony into the world in 1986 and three years later, Gina was born to round out their family.

Both of their grown children are married and Anthony has a son named Connor.

Podley and both of his children have unlimited praise and respect for Kris, because during football season, it was her duty alone to prepare meals, get them anywhere they needed to go, including practices, and still have enough time to maintain her job.

On Friday nights, Podley’s wife and kids were Bonita’s most loyal fans in the stands.

Before stepping down after the 2011 season, Podley groomed Adrian Medrano to take over the reigns at just 27 years of age, and it goes without saying that Medrano is eternally grateful to his mentor.

As Bonita’s athletic director, Podley oversaw a massive upgrade in the sports facilities, he engineered a school sports web page that was ranked No. 1 in the state and he hired John Knott and Tim Godley to run the Bearcats baseball and boys basketball programs, respectively.

As an administrator, Podley continued to dip his fingers into anything that needed to get done, and there was never a moment he felt a task was below his paygrade.

Aside from his support of this page, this writer has a lot of gratitude towards Podley.

Eric Podley isn’t just a terrific human being, he’s also a guy that after spending 12-15 hours on campus, he would head home after shooting a Bonita event and send us photos to use in a gallery before he went to bed.

In a phone conversation on Monday night, Kris Podley said she’s excited to have her husband home more often and they have trips planned to Hawaii and overseas that have been put on hold because of COVID-19.

They’ll also have the freedom to spend more time with their daughter Gina in Hawthorne and son Anthony, and grandson Connor, in Kansas City.

Don’t be too surprised if you see Podley on a golf course or El Rancho’s sideline from time to time in the role of helping Medrano with the Dons’ offense.

But for now, and from all of us who were lucky enough to cross your path, thank you for doing a great job, and even more so, bravo to you for doing it with class and dignity.

Enjoy your well-deserved retirement, Eric!

To read Podley’s farewell message to Bonita, please click here: https://gobearcats.org/2020/06/04/podley-says-thank-you-for-his-20-years-at-bonita-high-school/

Quotable:

Bonita principal, Kenny Ritchie: “Eric Podley is a staple of Bonita High School. His impact on BHS spans across the academics, athletics, arts and activities. Throughout his career, he has always put students first. As a teacher, he spent countless hours tutoring students after school, after practice or during his lunch break. As the head football coach, his attention to detail, rapport with his athletes and his leadership of coaches propelled him to success across many years. He truly has a passion for athletics and as a coach and an athletic director, he strived to make every athlete at BHS feel supported and appreciated. As an athletic director and as an administrator, Eric could be found everyday supporting our coaches and athletes at their competitions on campus. His recent endeavor of increasing the traffic to our athletic website has been hugely successful. He has increased the online presence of BHS through creating a twitter, Instagram and athletic website. Due to his work, our athletic website rose to #1 in the state of California and #9 in the nation. Many years ago, Eric gave a speech about a person being a “yes” man. He is the consummate “yes” man. Always willing to step up to help get any initiative done. We can always count on him to be there early and stay late for the best educational experience for our students and athletes. Eric’s legacy at BHS is cemented in excellence and his impact on BHS is immeasurable.”

Former Bonita principal, Bob Ketterling: “When we brought Eric to Bonita as our varsity football coach, he inherited a program that was in disarray. Eric and I had worked together at Northview High School, so I knew that he always ran a very high-quality program. It was really fun to watch as he transformed the program into one that taught our young men to be leaders and to have self-discipline. Teams knew that when they came to Glenn Davis Stadium, they were going to meet a team that was well coached and that they needed to bring their “A” game if they wanted to have a shot at winning. On a personal level, Eric was never overly optimistic. If you asked him how the team was likely to do at the start of the season you would probably hear about athletes who were hurt or positions where we were missing a key athlete. I remember one year when I asked Eric how we would do and he said “I think we might be OK.” That year we made it to the finals.”

Bonita athletic director, Darren Baumonk: “Today, when you think of Bonita High School, the first thing that comes to my mind is Bob Ketterling, because he was the principal here for so long before retiring. When you think of Bonita athletics, the first thing that comes to my mind is Eric Podley. He was the football coach and athletic director when I first arrived as a teacher at Bonita. He has the longest tenure as a football coach for Bonita High School. Podley has done so much for Bonita, especially for the athletic department. He is well liked by so many coaches in the San Gabriel Valley as well as many people in the La Verne Community and especially in the Bonita family. What I learned most from Eric was to give 100-percent regardless of how big or small an event was and that preparation was necessary for it to be a success. When Eric was the AD, everything was planned out from the beginning to the end. I want to congratulate Eric on his retirement and I hope he enjoys every minute of it. Take care and thanks for the friendship, Eric!”

Bonita football & 4-Time CIF champion coach, Steve Bogan: “Professor Podley was one of the best. Those who coached against him will remember him as one of the sharpest and innovative football minds. More importantly, Coach Podley was a “class act” and great human being. Podley’s teams were always prepared, his players always played their best, and usually a little above and beyond. He and Coach Ray Medina were one of the best coaching collaborations in the history of the San Gabriel Valley. They were a great fit, and those who coached against them knew that they better have faster horses in the race, or they were in trouble. Working for Coach has been a blessing. He gets “it” and was always looking for ways to help make my job easier.”

Former Bonita/Current El Rancho coach, Adrian Medrano: “I learned a lot about the details of being a head coach from Eric. It was on-the-job training. He helped me in every phase of a head coach’s job, including getting me started with the booster club/fundraisers. He was also the founder of the Bonita Air Assault, which was a passing league tournament that got as many as 30 teams competing. He also taught me the finer details of running a program and being cohesive with a coaching staff. It was really humbling that I had the blessing of someone who is so well respected. He’s a great mentor and a great friend. We spent a lot of time talking about practice, personnel, families, practice planning and being efficient with time. I could not hold this man in higher regard. I owe him so much for all he’s done for my career and life. I will always appreciate and cherish our times together. I hope Coach Podley gets to spend a lot of time on the golf course and with his family, friends and on his hobbies.”

Former Muir coach, John Tyree: “We got into a situation, where we put the flexbone triple option into our offense and our players didn’t like it one bit. They fought me every step of the way, but Eric was able to implement the system and got the kids to buy in and we won a CIF championship. He was our offensive coordinator and the greatest offensive line coach that I’ve ever seen. He is also highly organized and unemotional, which was a good balance to me.”

Bonita baseball coach, Ryan Marcos: “”I’m very grateful to know Eric Podley. He’s a good man. Over the years, he’s dedicated so much time and energy to communities across Southern California, the last 20 here at Bonita. As far as support goes from a coaching perspective, Eric Podley was one of the best. From overseeing our facilities upgrades, to advice on communications with all stakeholders in the baseball program, to attending all of our home games and capturing many memorable moments on film, we could count on Eric Podley to support the baseball program.

For the last three years, I’ve had the pleasure to interact with Podley on a daily basis. His consistently pleasant demeanor and professionalism always impressed me. Just about every lunch we’d run into each other on the blacktop near my P.E. office. He’d be on foot or in the golf cart helping monitor the lunch time crowd and I’d ask him for advice on running a baseball program, raising my children, or discussing various topics about life in general. Some of my favorite interactions with Podley were during the beginning of sixth period, my prep period, when I’d pick up mail or baseball packages from the front office. If my timing was right, Podley would be diligently working on his computer and trying to eat lunch. This was my chance to give Podley, Baumunk, and the rest of the office staff a hard time. And they would reciprocate the love. Change is inevitable and it’s time for Mr. Podley to retire, but his impact on Bonita is eternal. I’m very thankful to know and to have worked alongside Eric Podley.”

Bonita basketball coach, Tim Godley: “Mr. Podley (Eric) has been very influential for me during my time at Bonita. He ran the interview process when I was hired. When I began at Bonita, Eric was very helpful in getting me up to speed and acclimated to the Bearcat Way. I think most of all was the advice, mentoring and support he provided to me that was the most meaningful. He would go out of his was to offer something positive to me and provide needed advice when necessary. I always knew that he supported our program. When your administrator(s) (it wasn’t just him!) is behind you, it provides a coach with added confidence knowing that your efforts are valued and supported. If there was a job that involved extra work, like breaking down the gym after an assembly, Eric was right there leading by example. I will miss working with him a great deal. But…I know that he will be around! So we’ll get a chance to catch up. “Once a Bearcat, always a Bearcat!” Eric is a large part of what Bonita is today, a great place to work.”

Former Bonita/current Mt. SAC baseball coach, John Knott: “Coach Podley is loved by so many people at Bonita. The students looked up to and respect him. He had such a unique way to make everyone feel a part of what is going on at the school and took a lot of pride in attending all the different events and supporting the staff and students.

Coach Podley gave me my first opportunity as a head coach and I am grateful for everything he has done for me personally. I was there for 11 years, so he was a huge help in my development as head coach. I remember he would send me text messages or emails after games and it didn’t matter if we had won or lost, he would always say encouraging or positive things he had noticed from watching. You could talk to him about anything and he would give you an honest and professional response. Above all, he was a model of consistency and always fair when it dealt with people.”

Northview wrestling coach/athletic director, David Ochoa: “Eric was a great influence to me. I was his freshman football coach and Coach Podley taught me the value of team. I had come from a very small wrestling program and I only knew how to focus individuals. Under Podley’s leadership, I learned how to build a program. Northview Wrestling is a direct reflection of the teaching and leadership of Eric Podley. He was one of the most important coaches I have ever been associated with. He is an outstanding coach.”

South Hills baseball coach/athletic director, Darren Murphy: “Eric was a part of the group that helped get me hired at Northview. I was going to coach with him, but he got the Dean’s job a short time later. Podley was ahead of his time and spent so much time on football. His second act in administration, we saw a guy that became one of the more important voices in the SGV for all sports. That’s big shoes to fill for Bonita. There’s not a bigger or better advocate for sports than Eric Podley.”

Northview football coach, Marcel Perez: “Coach Podley was a great coach and he was always able to get the players motivated and we were always well prepared for whomever the opponent was. I think what stands out most was the way he and his staff treated the players. It’s something I attempt to do as the coach at Northview and because of his lead. I will always appreciate his impact.” try and be just like them always cared about the players

Podley assistant at Northview & Bonita, Ray Medina: “Eric had great knowledge of the game and worked well with kids and his coaching staff. He was always prepared, and always had the kids prepared. We were never the biggest or strongest, but had kids believing they could beat teams with more talent or size. The kids adopted that underdog mentality. He also knew when to flip the switch and when to pull back. Eric instilled in the kids that nobody was going to out-work us.”

Coach Podley’s son, Anthony Podley: “When my dad was at Bonita, I was coming into my own playing for Damien, so I didn’t get the chance to be at too many of their games, but I remember being on the sideline when he coached at Northview and you could tell people respected my dad. It was really cool to see and meant a lot to me. One of the many things I learned from his was to always improve and not stagnate. It’s something I use in my daily life. I remember when he was sick and struggling with his health in 2012, and that team meant so much to him that he showed up every day, in spite of having to use a walker.”

Coach Podley’s daughter, Gina Mauch: “I enjoyed very much going to games on Friday nights with my mom. There was this really great family type atmosphere at Bonita and it made it even more special for me to see the community rally behind the school and their teams. My dad is a good motivational speaker and as cliché as it might sound, he wasn’t just a football coach, he was also a life coach. As a kid, I always felt like he was being kind of harsh (towards me) when I made a mistake. But as I grew older, it was a very important lesson that life isn’t easy and it’s really stuck with me. In every job my dad has done, he’s always worked hard and goes above and beyond. He’s such a tough guy and would never really show weak emotions. And to see him in a state, where he couldn’t do what he used to in 2010, it was extremely eye opening. We were with him in the hospital on Christmas Eve and that was obviously the worst Christmas Eve we’ve had as a family. As I got older, we (brother and I) grew so much closer together with my dad. My mom is great too. When I look back, I can’t understand how she got it all done. My brother and I had so many things going on. We were always busy and she was able to manage everything and never complained. I remember as a kid, there were a lot of under-privileged kids and if they didn’t have a ride, my dad would pick them up, if they didn’t have money, he’d buy them lunch. That’s the kind of guy he is.”

Four-time CIF champion (Los Altos)/current Don Lugo coach, Greg Gano: “My first year at Northview, Eric was the vice principal and he accepted me and was always a class act. He’s a humble guy and there aren’t many coaches that worked harder than him. His teams were always prepared to play. I don’t think anyone spent more time on film and breaking guys down like him. We would sit in a pub in La Verne and talk football. He was always good with his kids and his players respected him. He’s just a genuinely good guy. I know one year we were probably evenly matched and he had a big defensive tackle and moved him around and hell, we couldn’t get away from the kid.”

Charter Oak coach, Dominic Farrar: “I was blessed to have my father foremost in my life, and he impacted me on and off the field, and the best compliment I could pay Coach Podley is that I hold him in the same esteem as I do my dad. Eric’s journey throughout his career was that of a trailblazer, and it was about how he coached, how he taught, how he contributed to his community. He always found a way to maximize and exceed expectations and get his kids to perform beyond what his players thought they could do. He made me a better coach, man and father for having to prepare to go up against him. He made me work harder and smarter, because he was so prepared. Bonita’s kids were going to leave it all on the field. He always made himself available to me and always was a confidant. If I needed someone to be objective and needed the truth, personal, football or school related, he would answer the phone. I always felt better talking to him and grew from each of our conversations. I consider him a role model and a leader in our valley and beyond.”

Three-time CIF championship coach (West Covina), Mike Maggiore: “I don’t know Eric well, but I have a lot of respect for him. He was really good at putting his players in a position to be successful. One of the best at scheme and getting the most out of his guys. The obvious memory is 2010 season. We got some breaks and beat them pretty good during the season. Played them again in CIF championship. They were a different team. So well prepared. Took advantage of our weaknesses better than anyone that year. The game was a great one which we pulled out, but that was one of the best coaching jobs I’ve ever been on the other side of in 25 years. He knew what they had to do to win and they executed and played their butts off. That’s all a coach can ask. Coach Podley was a great one!”

Bonita AD, Michelle Okayama: “Eric is one of the hardest working coaches and administrators that I’ve ever seen. He does all the gritty work. (Bonita football coach) Steve Bogan and I were talking recently about how Podley was one of the greatest coaches, because you were going to get something you didn’t see on film or were prepared for. Eric has been a mentor for me and for many others as well.”

Eric Podley’s Football Record at Bonita:

2011: 6-5, 4-2

2010: 12-2, 6-1 (Southeast Division runner ups to West Covina, 37-33)

2009: 3-8, 2-2

2008: 7-4, 3-1

2007: 5-6, 2-2

2006: 7-3, 2-2

2005: 8-2, 2-2

2004: 7-4, 3-1 (three-way tie for first with Charter Oak & Los Altos)

2003: 7-4

2002: 6-5 (league champions)

2001: 4-5-1

2000: 5-6

To view a photo gallery of Coach Podley, click on the Facebook link here: (3) Facebook