San Fernando’s Baseball Coach Quits; Says District Is On Skids

San Fernando High baseball Coach Steve Marden, one of the most influential coaches in the San Fernando Valley, announced his resignation Monday, citing increasing disenchantment with the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Marden, a Cleveland High graduate who took over at San Fernando in 1975 and turned the moribund program into a consistent winner, said he believes things in the district will get worse before they get better.

“If you can’t change it and you’re not happy with it, then you can’t stay with it,” Marden said.

Marden, 47, led the Tigers to the City Section 4-A Division championship in 1991 with a 3-2 upset of Banning. San Fernando also made the final in 1988, the first trip to the baseball championship in school history.

When Marden took over, the program was a longtime also-ran. As the team improved, Marden raised funds to rebuild the school field, added one of the region’s first electric scoreboards and gained a reputation as a glib, quick-witted coach who could squeeze ability from physically limited players.

He quickly became a front man among area City coaches. Marden designed the current 17-game conference baseball schedule and was instrumental in the reinstatement of the 1989 playoffs, which initially had been canceled by a teachers’ strike.

As years rolled by, Marden said, the problems associated with coaching began to pile up.

“The direction of L.A. Unified is not something I want to be a part of,” Marden said. “Running a quality athletic program is becoming more and more difficult.”

Marden plans to pursue a coaching and teaching position in the college ranks. He has twice been close to accepting the coaching position at Victor Valley College in Victorville, but no teaching job was available.

No replacement has been named. The school will begin accepting applications immediately.