Valencia football coach Shawn Racobs, who guided the Tigers to a share of the Empire League title in his first season as the replacement for legendary coach Mike Marrujo, said Monday that he has been fired by the school.
Racobs said he met with Principal Hector Vasquez on Thursday morning and was told the school was going in a new direction for football. Racobs said he was given the option to resign but when he refused, Vasquez confirmed that he was fired.
“I said, ‘I can’t do that. This is my home. This is my school and I’ve told these boys that I would never quit on them,’ ” Racobs said of resigning.
Racobs said he is unsure of the reasons he was fired. Vasquez didn’t immediately respond Monday to messages seeking comment.
“The only answer I’ve been given is that we’re going in a new direction,” Racobs said. “That’s frustrating. … I don’t understand it.”
Racobs said he remains a physical education teacher at Valencia, his alma mater. He said he hasn’t been disciplined.
In his first season at Valencia, Racobs guided the Tigers to a 4-1 league record in the Empire League in 2016 and a share of the league title with Tustin. Valencia finished 4-7 overall.
Racobs served as an assistant under Marrujo during two stints. He was the defensive coordinator in 2015, Marrujo’s 35th and final season, to cap a two-year run as an assistant. He also was an assistant under Marrujo from 2001 to 2008.
Racobs also is the former football coach at El Dorado.
Marrujo was The Register’s coach of the year in 2015. He guided Valencia to three CIF titles and 15 league titles during his tenure.
Please send football news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on Twitter
