Ray Humphrey has had his share of challenges as football coach at Malibu High.
Whether it was preparing the gameplan against a talented Fillmore team, suiting up only 14 players for a game, seeing promising young players transfer to schools over the hill or simply getting players to believe in themselves, nothing compared to a decision he made last week.
After 10 years of leading the Sharks into battle on the gridiron, Humphrey decided it was time to step away from the game and program he loves. Malibu has only known two head football coaches in its history: Rich Lawson (1996-2004) and Humphrey (2005- 2014). Now it’s time to make room for a third.
“I’m very content with the decision. It’s something that I am doing personally for me,” Humphrey, 44, said. “After 10 years of being the head coach here, 24 years of coaching football, and 34 years of being involved with football, I felt I needed to take a break. It’s a personal choice for me. I did a lot of soul-searching and came to my decision.”
For Humphrey, this wasn’t an easy decision. He met with a local pastor and made the best decision for his personal life. Relying on the faith that future doors will open up and new opportunities will present themselves, Humphrey took a knee in victory formation after making a positive impact and difference upon the lives of many Malibu students.
Coaching and teaching the game of football for a decade to the youth of MHS has been one of Humphrey’s cherished moments in his life. But Coach “Humph” has been more than a football coach at Malibu. He’s been a father figure, mentor and inspirational leader on and off the field.
“Not only has he been a leader as a coach with the football team taking care of the kids on the field and keeping the team united as one family, he’s taken care of the kids off the field,” Athletic Director Chris Neier said. “He’s been like a second parent to these kids. He’s helped them make the right choices at school.”
Now that his decision has been made, Humphrey ventures into the unknown of what the future holds for him. He intends to stay at Malibu and coach track in the spring while leaving his options open as winter break approaches.
“I’m going to still coach track. I’m looking forward to that. We have a really good track team. I’m excited about that and having some fun,” he said. “But I really don’t know and that’s the exciting part. I’ve thought about coaching college, maybe taking some time off or coaching football at another high school. There are a lot of different opportunities out there. I think I’ve done some good things here and that has set the tone for me moving forward.”
Humphrey led the Sharks to playoff berths in 2007 and most recently in 2012. He fondly remembers defeating Ribet Academy, 20-8, in 2005 for his first victory as a high school head coach; knocking off heavily favored Fillmore, 28-21, in 2007 under the lights; and coaching four league MVPs through the years (Alec Stevenson, Brennan Cassone, Justin Hale and J.P. O’Fallon).
“You want to accomplish everything you can. Being able to put players into college and seeing these kids play at the next level was special for me,” said Humphrey. “Building a program and making it competitive was always the biggest challenge. Sometimes we had to start from scratch. It says a lot about the character of the players and the men who coached for me.
“We were always competitive. We didn’t always win games but we were always competitive. I pride myself in that. Anytime you have such a small amount of numbers and you see those players put in the hard work and play with tremendous heart, it’s very rewarding.”
One look at Humphrey’s office says it all. Every one of his 10 teams is proudly displayed on the walls with college posters adorned in and around. Remembering the past while inspiring for the future was Humphrey’s calling card.
“We are lucky to have him still be here but he will be missed on the football field for sure,” Neier said.