Clayton Valley Charter’s Tim Murphy says this season is his last as Ugly Eagles coach
CONCORD, CA (Sept. 17, 2021) — This is the 10th year that Clayton Valley has been a charter high school and during that time Ugly Eagles football has experienced unprecedented success under head coach Tim Murphy. CVCHS will be looking for a new coach before next season after Murphy announced last month that this will be his final year in charge.
Clayton Valley has started this season with two wins in three games as they look to reach the North Coast Section playoffs for the ninth successive time during Murphy’s tenure (no playoffs were held during the shortened 2020-21 season).
Murphy had told The Pioneer that he stepped away from most summer coaching preparation and duties as he struggled with a decision as to whether he would retire immediately. He says CVCHS interim executive director Dave Fehte convinced him to “give us one more year.”
Athletic Director Eric Bamberger says the school will conduct a formal search for a new head coach following this season.
Co-head coach
If Murphy has any say he feels his successor is already on campus in assistant coach Nick Tisa. Murphy considers Tisa his co-head coach this season. “He’s doing more of the stuff on the field and I’m coaching the coaches,” Murphy told the local media in explaining how the duties are being handled this year. “I’m trying to get him to be as close to a head coach as possible.”
Tisa was head coach for six years at Dougherty Valley in San Ramon before joining the staff at Clayton Valley, just 10 minutes from his Concord home, in 2018.
Tisa has been an Ugly Eagles’ defensive coach and is a U.S. History teacher. He explains that he has helped Murphy coordinate all things for the football team in the classroom. Murphy intends to continue as a PE and strength trainer at the charter school following his coaching retirement.
Coming back to Clayton Valley
Murphy was recruited to Clayton Valley in the months leading up to its charter conversion by former AD Pat Middendorf. He had accepted a coaching job in Utah, resigned almost immediately and then was introduced at a March 2012 Ygnacio Valley High Boosters dinner as coming back to the school he led to the 1999 North Coast Section 3A East Bay championship.
Shortly thereafter he was at CVCHS, and the Ugly Eagles won their first four NCS football championships (2012, 2014, 2015, 2019) plus the CIF State 2-AA championship in December 2019 under his watch, utilizing his renowned double wing offense. Murphy’s Ugly Eagles reached the 2014 and 2015 CIF State Bowl championship game but lost both before breaking through for the 2019 title effort. His record part way into his 10th season stands at 93-22.
Between his time at Ygnacio Valley and CVCHS, Murphy spent a decade at Clovis East in the Central Valley and there earned the new school its first two CIF Central Section championships. Murphy graduated from College Park High and UC Santa Barbara before getting into coaching.
Murphy replaced long-time CVHS coach Herc Pardi, who stepped down in March 2012 after 16 years at the helm of the Eagles with a 107-75-2 record. Pardi’s Clayton Valley teams made the NCS playoffs eight of his last nine seasons and a dozen times overall while reaching three Section championship games.
Jay Bedecarré
Jay Bedecarré is a long-time resident and writer in Concord and Clayton. He began his newspaper writing career while still a senior at Mt. Diablo High School and he has been part of The Pioneer since its inception in 2003. Jay also operates Bay Area Festivals, presenting events around the San Francisco Bay Area including Bay Area KidFest annually in Downtown Concord.