Dougherty steps down as Sabers FB coach
Citing “family reasons,” Robert Dougherty has stepped down as Maui High School football coach.
Dougherty, who was hired for the position in November 2019, told his players of the decision at lunch on Wednesday. He has taken the head football coaching job at Morro Bay (Calif.) High School, where he will also have a teaching job.
The Sabers went 4-2 in his only season at the helm in 2021 — the 2020 season was wiped out by COVID-19.
“I love the Maui High kids, they’re the best,” Dougherty said via phone shortly after telling his players. “They’re going to be a great team, I have no doubt. Told them I’d be watching them from California, that’s for sure. Great kids, good staff. So, they’ve got everything going for them.”
Dougherty has been a temporary hire physical education teacher at Maui High and his wife Allison has been working three jobs to help the family budget.
The next Maui High head coach will be the ninth since Curtis Lee retired in 2004 as the all-time winningest coach in Maui Interscholastic League history.
“I think that we did start to lay a good foundation here,” Dougherty said. “Basically over time we would have gotten better and better, but it was tough going through the COVID thing and all that. So, I think they do understand what it takes to win, the kind of work it takes and the coaches have all bought in.”
The offseason weight training program is going strong and is being coordinated by two-time U.S. Olympic weightlifter Vernon Patao, a Maui High graduate.
“We’ve got 35 to 40 kids coming to weight training, consistently,” Dougherty said. “The little things are important. … The staff is really good — I hope that they can move forward with the guys here. They’ve got a good thing going and I’m going to miss them. Really, I think they’re a real contender for a state run. I really believe that in my heart.”
The youngest of three Dougherty daughters, Madee Dougherty, is a current senior at King Kekaulike High School and has signed to play college soccer at Sacramento State
in the fall. Son Sands, the youngest of the four Dougherty children, is entering ninth grade in the fall.
Second daughter Maile is a junior at Boston College and oldest daughter Makena is going to be enrolled in nursing school on the West Coast in the fall.
“It’s a good time to make the move over there, just to get closer because everybody is going to be on the Mainland,” Robert Dougherty said. “We’re going to keep our house here — we’ll be back here one day.
“My wife, she’s worked three jobs here to help support my dream to coach because it wasn’t a full-time position at Maui High, so I wasn’t getting paid full-time. So, that’s hard to survive on. … To be able to get a full-time position in California, it will help my family.”
Dougherty’s parents also live in California.
“It makes a lot of sense in a lot of different ways,” he said. “If it was just based on coaching football at Maui High School, with the situation that we’ve built, you know, it’s a great situation to be here. Family, we always preach in our program you’ve got to make decisions based on your family first.
“The football kids are a part of my second family, but my first family comes first. That’s basically it, simple as that.”
Maui High athletic director Mike Ban said that a search for the next Sabers’ head coach is open to all applicants and a selection committee will be formed soon.
Spring drills will be held for the current team, Ban said.
“I just want to say thanks to coach Robert Dougherty for being there during the tough times in terms of COVID and guiding us into our season,” Ban said. “He and his staff did an incredible job last season. I was very pleased by that. He informed me that he will be leaving, there’s some family reasons, but we just want to say ‘thank you very much’ for being part of our school community and doing things the right way and we appreciate all the hard work that he’s done to help grow our program.”
Those interested in applying for the head coaching position should send a resume to Ban at michael.ban@k12.hi.us. The deadline to apply is Sunday.