MCGEE OUT AT WINDSOR AFTER FOUR WINS IN TWO YEARS

After six years of football, Windsor still is still looking for its first

winning team. And now it's looking for its third head coach.

Dan McGee, 31, has resigned. The Cardinal Newman grad coached the past two

seasons for the Jaguars, which were the school's first two with a varsity

squad.

The decision was all but made for McGee when Windsor principal Jeff Harding

told his coach the job was being opened for new applicants. Harding said it is

a common procedure for coaching positions at the school and that McGee was on

a year-to-year contract.

McGee said he met with Harding in November after the season ended to

discuss changes he thought needed to be made. At that time Harding advised him

that he was re-opening the position. McGee said he decided then that he would

resign.

Although Windsor was just 2-8 in both of McGee's seasons, the Jaguars

recorded their first Sonoma County League victory this year against Casa

Grande. The Jaguars also defeated Lower Lake, but were shut out five times.

''I had some reservations,'' McGee said about returning for another season.

''I just thought some changes had to be made.'' He declined to reveal what

those changes were.

The Windsor football program has been plagued by low player turnout. There

were 25 players on the varsity, making it among the smallest teams, in terms

of numbers, in the SCL.

McGee said coaching at Windsor was a good experience and that he is proud

that three of the players achieved 4.0 grade point averages. ''We started

study halls for players and we had them working hard in the class room,''

McGee said.

Bud Baccitich, an assistant coach at Healdsburg, preceded McGee as coach at

Windsor, but never had a varsity team in his four years at the school. His

fourth year was supposed to be Windsor's first varsity season, but just before

the start of play 10 seniors quit and the Jaguars again played a JV season.

Baccitich was let go in part because of low turnouts among football

players.

''Every aspect of a new school takes time to establish,'' Harding said of

the football program. He noted the current success of the Windsor boys

basketball team and said it's more difficult to develop a winning football

program because of the larger roster.

Harding is optimistic, however. Although the senior class at Windsor has

just 180 students, there are currently 350 freshman in the school. There are

plans, too, for a lighted football field on campus. It could be ready for the

2002 season, he said.

McGee said he's uncertain of his coaching future, but plans to attend

coaching clinics and talk with other Bay Area coaches. He said he might take

an assistant's position in the Redwood Empire, but would like to be a head

coach again.

''I'm just going to take some time off,'' McGee said. ''It's the first time

I haven't had something (connected to football) in 12 years.''

Harding said he hopes to hold interviews for the head coaching position by

the end of the month.

Staff writer Rich Rupprecht can be reached at 521-5275 or

rrupprecht@pressdemocrat.com