Tengan opts
not to pursue
St. Louis job

The leading candidate to replace
Cal Lee as football coach will
continue as the basketball coach

---

By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.com

The leading candidate to succeed Cal Lee as head football coach at St. Louis School has withdrawn his name from consideration for the position

Delbert Tengan, the Crusaders' defensive coordinator, told Lee he would not pursue the head coaching job for the state's most successful high school football program, opting instead to remain the school's varsity basketball coach.

"When I took over as basketball coach, there were several goals I had in mind," Tengan said. "We haven't won a state title since 1986 and that's one of our goals here. But it's tough to choose one or the other."

Tengan said the option of coaching the football and basketball teams was open to him, but decided against it after talking to school administrators.

"There were some concerns over the feasibility of doing both," he said. "There was no ultimatum. They were open to it, but there were concerns and I took that into account.

"It definitely was tough," he added. "There were a lot of sleepless nights thinking about whether I should take one or the other or do both."

Lee, the winningest coach in Hawaii high school football, announced last summer that the 2001 season would be his last as head coach, but said he would remain as athletic director.

He recommended Tengan to the school's administration as a possible replacement for the football coaching position and asked Tengan to consider taking the job.

"I'm not disappointed because it's his decision," Lee said. "He's got basketball, and taking two sports might have been too much of a strain on him. If he took football, it would be almost 12 months that he would be under the gun."

Lee said that the job would be opened up to anyone interested in applying. He hopes to have a coach in place by the end of March. Applications and resumes should be sent to the St. Louis athletic department.

Tengan had not officially been offered the post, nor had he interviewed for it. But he said the administration would likely have gone along with Lee's recommendation.

Tengan, who spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach with the football team, will remain a physical education teacher at the school as well as basketball coach. But he will not return to the football staff unless Lee decides to come out of retirement.

"The only person I would come back and coach for is Cal," Tengan said.

"I'll definitely miss coaching football," he said. "I've enjoyed working with our players and with our staff."

Tengan is second in tenure among St. Louis assistant coaches. He joined the St. Louis football program as a trainer in 1983 before becoming an assistant coach in 1987. He coached the defensive backs before being promoted to defensive coordinator.

Only quarterbacks coach Vince Passas has been a Crusaders assistant longer, joining the staff in 1982. Passas has indicated he is not interested in pursuing the head coaching job.

"July 1 is going to be weird," Tengan said. "That's when pass league practice starts, and when you've done something for 19 years, you don't know how you're going to react until the time comes. I'll definitely miss it."

The St. Louis Division I basketball team has compiled a 47-25 record in three seasons under Tengan. The Crusaders missed the state tournament for the first time in his tenure this season, finishing 9-5 in the ILH. The Crusaders were Interscholastic League of Honolulu champions and state runner-up in his first season and finished fourth in the state in 2001.

Lee closed his football coaching career with a record of 241-32-5. St. Louis won its 16th consecutive ILH championship last season and captured 15 Prep Bowl or state championships under Lee's guidance. The Crusaders lost to Kahuku in the state championship game the last two years.

In addition to playing its ILH schedule this fall, St. Louis is scheduled to face last year's national No. 1, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), on Sept. 21 at Aloha Stadium.

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