Phee takes over as Chaparral football coach

Tim Graham

Friday, March 29, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

There are many formulas for choosing a head coach and Chaparral High may have added another to the list.

The last time Chaparral had a new head football coach, Ronald Reagan was seeking re-election against Walter Mondale and the Summer Olympics were taking place in Los Angeles.

That was 12 years ago, an eternity for coaches in Las Vegas, when Bobby Johnson became the Cowboys' mentor.

Now, with another president seeking a second term and the Olympics back in the United States, Chaparral has named another new coach. Former defensive coordinator Jordan Phee fills a void left when Johnson resigned two months ago.

"I think they made a great choice," Johnson said. "Jordan has a real good relationship with the kids. It'll be an easy transition."

Phee, 37, is a graduate of Chaparral and UNLV, where he played center for the Rebels. He has been an assistant with the Cowboys for eight years and their defensive coordinator the past two. Last year, due to a staff shortage, he also coached the offensive line.

"It's like a dream come true," Phee said of his appointment. "Being a former player at Chaparral I feel it's come full circle. We're going to keep the winning tradition going."

He takes over a program that went 5-4 overall, 4-2 in the Sunrise Division and qualified for the Southern Zone playoffs last year.

"Jordan is aware of what he is stepping into," athletic administrator Barbara Chilson said. "He is aware of the long-standing tradition at Chaparral. He's been around long enough to realize that."

Of the changes Phee plans to make, an open offense will be the most obvious to spectators, while the defense will remain the same.

"We're going to be implementing a new offense," he said. "We'll open it up with more passing and different formations."

Grid tidbits

* SEASONS CHANGE: Bishop Gorman athletic administrator Chuck Gerber has proposed that the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association start the football season two weeks later, effective 1997. He claims the change is needed for the safety of players, who start the season under steamy late-summer conditions. Gerber is polling principals and athletic administrators statewide for a reaction. The proposal was "unanimously approved by the athletic administrators of Southern Nevada," he said, but NIAA executive director Jerry Hughes predicts the Northern Nevada schools will differ. "We try to get as much input as possible and see how the total (state) feels about it," Hughes said. "Without question, it's a Southern Nevada issue. The people up here are going to say 'Well, we're going to be playing in the snow.' Most likely the coaches in the other part of the state won't (like it)." Although he realizes playing in the cold is safer than playing in 100-degree temperatures, Hughes could not think of any player from Southern Nevada who died of heat exhaustion. "There's some validity, but it does present some other problems. The basketball coaches probably wouldn't like extending the season. Smaller schools have kids who are involved in every sport."