When the 2005 football season begins for the Oakville Senior High football team, Steve Fanara will not be pacing the sideline as head coach.

Fanara announced his resignation last week after just one season as the head coach of the black and gold. He is leaving Oakville for Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas where he’ll serve as the school’s defensive coordinator.

“A good friend of mine got the head coaching job (at Howard Payne) and called me about the defensive coordinator position,” Fanara told the Call. “It was the right timing and the right opportunity for me.”

That good friend is Mike Redwine, who took the head coaching duties at Howard Payne on April 20. Redwine and Fanara worked together at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan. back in 1991.

When Fanara got the opportunity to work with Redwine at Howard Payne University, he realized he couldn’t pass it up.

“Mike’s a guy I respect and I probably would not have considered it if it was with any other person,” Fanara said. “I’ve got a lot of respect in him as a person and his coaching ability.”

Fanara leaves Oakville after a 2-8 season in which the Tigers posted a 1-6 record in the Suburban West Conference. But the Tigers capped the season with a 32-14 win over Fox, and Fanara said the team has improved.

“As far as Oakville goes, I feel like we’ve left the program in better shape than when we took over,” Fanara said. “The kids have really been working hard in the weight room and that’s exciting. If this were an interview about our off-season, I would be telling you about how big of strides we’ve taken.”

The head football coaching position at Oakville has had its share of changes recently with the last change being after the 2003 season when former head coach Jerry Maulin guided the Tigers to six wins and four losses. The Tigers took third place in the Suburban South Conference that year with a record of 5-3.

Since the 2000 season, the Oakville football program has amassed a record of 16-31 overall with a 14-28 mark in conference play.

Fanara does not know who will be the next head coach for the Tigers but said the selection process is underway and a new coach could be named in the near future.