Yorba Linda High head coach Jeff Bailey oversaw one of the winning programs in California high school football over the past three decades, so his decision to move on came as quite a shock. Especially when the new team he was taking over hadn’t logged a winning season in the past 15 years.
But at a Beverly Hills High School board meeting earlier this week, he was approved to become the next head football coach at Beverly Hills (Calif.).
“When a student puts on a jersey, its more than a uniform. It’s a responsibility. You’re not just representing yourself. You’re representing your teammates, your family, your school and most of all, your community,” Bailey said in a video presented at the board meeting. “I know how that feels like. I grew up loving the game. I earned a chance to play football at UCLA. Football taught me lessons that carried me far beyond the field. How to prepare. How to lead. How to respond when things get hard. Those lessons shaped the way I coach.”
On Thursday, more details came out about his decision to change programs, including the salary he’ll earn in one of California’s richest zip codes. According to SI High School’s Tarek Fattal, Bailey will earn over $205,000 and was listed as the strength and conditioning coach for the district.
A separate report from the Orange County Register says that Bailey cited the move as a “family decision” with financial benefits for his retirement.
His new salary puts Bailey in line with some of the highest-paid coaches not only in the Golden State, but in the country. A report last summer from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted that highly successful Southlake Carroll coach Riley Dodge was making $175,000.
Meanwhile in Georgia, Carrollton head coach Joey King earned more than $219,000 last season, according to Brooks Carter of NextRoundLive. He was the only coach to make more than $200K.
Bailey will have a big rebuild on his hands
The 56-year-old has been coaching for nearly 30 years, winning 179 games along the way with 18 postseason appearances and 11 CIF league titles. He developed Yorba Linda into a powerhouse during that time, finishing No. 40 in last year’s California High School Football Massey Rankings.
Meanwhile, the Beverly Hills program just completed its fifth winless season in the past 15 years, and the last time they finished above the .500 mark was in 2010 with a 6-5 record.
“It’s now a new challenge and I’m going to go 100 percent into it,” Bailey told the Register. “I take pride in anything I’m doing and I’m not ever going to be lazy.”
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