photography / Troy Boman Tooele football coach Sam Elliott talks with a player during the 2006 season. Elliott will be the head coach at Union High School in Roosevelt next year.

by Mark Watson

SPORTS EDITOR

Tooele head football coach Sam Elliott resigned Monday to accept the head coaching position at Union High School in Roosevelt, according to Elliott.

Union High School contacted Elliott back in February and offered him the job, but the Tooele coach declined.

"They called back two weeks ago and had sweetened the offer. This morning (Monday) I thought it would be the right decision for me and my family," Elliott said.

"It's just something I struggled with because I like the kids here so much and next year we should have a good team. It's one of the toughest decisions I've had to make. I didn't know which way to go but some things happened recently and I decided to make the move," the coach said.

A close friend of Elliott's urged Union administrators to call Elliott again and see if he would take the job, Elliott said.

Longtime Springville coach Doug Bills worked as the head coach at Union for one year last year, but will return to Springville this year to work with the Red Devils' new head coach Scott Mitchell.

Elliott said money was a major issue.

He said his salary at THS was $27,000 with a $3,000 stipend for coaching and other incentives. "No way can I afford a house payment at that salary.

"For one thing their (Union) base salary is $4,000 more with a stipend and incentives," Elliott said. He figures he will make $12,000 more per year at Union.

"What it all boils down to is that good teachers in this state are leaving. Tooele is one of the lowest paying districts in a state which is among the lowest paying in the nation," he said.

Elliott coached three years at THS and recorded a 16-16 record. He was 13-9 his first two years when the Buffs competed in 3A. The Tooele football team was 3-7 last year when it jumped to 4A competition.

Elliott served one year as an assistant to Tooele coach Doug Harding who left the school after one year as the head coach to pursue a business opportunity.

Tennis coach Derek Smith also is leaving THS to coach at the new Desert Hills High School in St. George. He will be replaced by Ryan Harris who has been an assistant basketball coach at Tooele, but has extensive playing and coaching experience in tennis.

Donna Ward, who works at Clarke Johnson Junior High, will be the new girls soccer coach at THS next year.

Athletic director Rich Valdez said Tooele will advertise for a new football coach as soon as possible and would like to name a new coach as soon as they can.

mwatson@tooeletranscript.com