Longtime Douglas football coach Ron Ellsworth has announced he is stepping down and it’s for good.
 Longtime Douglas football coach Ron Ellsworth, shown above watching his quarterback run a drill in practice last summer, has announced he is leaving the Bulldog football program. Ellsworth has a coach with the Bulldogs since 1982. Bruce Whetten/Douglas Dispatch |
Ellsworth came to the DHS program in 1982-83 starting as the freshmen coach. Since then he’s been an assistant coach at the varsity level, a head coach from 1991-94 and lately he was the assistant head coach as well as the defensive coordinator to current head coach Dick Keith.
“My wife’s health has been going down hill the past couple of years and she’s been in and out of hospitals so I decided that I needed to be home more,” Ellsworth said. “Football is a very time consuming job.”
Ron and his wife Terri have been married 36-years.
Keith said replacing Ron will be very difficult.
“Ron Ellsworth cannot be replaced,” Coach Keith said. “He’s been so vital to this program for so many years. I stepped away for a number of years and in my opinion it’s been Ron that has kept this program going.”
Keith describes Ellsworth as one of the finest motivators of young men and women that he’s ever known.
While football has been a part of Ron’s life for just about as long he felt it was time to step aside and let someone else take over the defensive coordinator duties.
Keith has picked Levi Salazar to replace Ellsworth.
“He’s ready for this,” Ellsworth said. “We’ve worked together for several years. He and I would break down films together. - I feel confident with Levi.”
“I wouldn’t have picked Levi to replace Ron if I didn’t have a lot of faith in him,” Keith said. “He works hard and he’s been tutored by Ron for at least the last two seasons. - Levi is working awfully hard and I have the utmost confidence in him that he will be able to pick up and carry on that defense the way Ron would do it.”
Keith is trying to recover from an accident at his home where he broke his ankle in two places.
He says he is “semi-mobile” but that he needs to get back to coaching his team and getting things ready for the upcoming season.
Ellsworth said there were times when he was at games and Terri was home and something would happen. More than he cares to admit most of those things happened when the Bulldogs were on the road.
“It really wasn’t that hard of a decision,” he said. “It was time.”
Ellsworth actually made the announcement to his players and former coaches several weeks ago and as a courtesy to his former coaches and players has made it a point to stay away from summer football drills.
“I’m looking forward to coming home at a decent hour,” he said, “Instead of coming home late, tired, exhausted.”
Ellsworth says he will still have his conditioning camps and run the weight room just as he’s always done and so in that aspect he will still be supporting the program trying to get the athletes bigger, faster, stronger.
“I don’t even think I will go to the games,” he said. “I need to stay at home with Terri.”
Walking away Ellsworth feels he gave the DHS program all that he could.
“I always told my players that I was going to give them a 100 percent; I just want 100 percent in return,” he said. “I felt over the years I gave them that 100 percent.”
Ellsworth said he’s had a lot of talented athletes come through and some that did not have the talent but made themselves good football players through hard work.
The coach said this year’s team can have a good season but the key to this year is the offensive line.
“All the skill people are back,” he said.
The Bulldogs begin practice Aug. 1 with the season opener coming Aug. 26 at Empire. Douglas’ home opener will be Sept. 2 against Safford.
“There have been great coaches here before me who have gone on and made names for themselves,” Ellsworth said. “This program is still here and will keep going. No one person makes the program. It will keep going on.”
Comments
Porky Portugal wrote on Jul 26, 2011 4:43 PM:
Javier M. wrote on Jul 25, 2011 1:08 PM:
Robert Nicolaus 1992 wrote on Jul 19, 2011 12:10 PM:
I can still hear your words of encouragement carrying all the way to Huber Junior High during junior high band practice. "Exercise your mind and body!!!"
Good luck, Coach. "
Kody Lewis wrote on Jul 19, 2011 10:41 AM:
I can recall meeting you back in the early 80's as a boy coming to big sisters track practices and I used to love to watch your intensity and passion you had for the kids...Thank you again!
Best wishes to you and Terri and I hope all gets as well as possible!
Take care! "
91 Bulldog wrote on Jul 18, 2011 4:29 PM:
LT wrote on Jul 17, 2011 5:48 PM:
Clint Hill wrote on Jul 16, 2011 12:32 PM:
Dickie wrote on Jul 16, 2011 8:39 AM:
DanielC wrote on Jul 15, 2011 8:03 PM: