Del Oro promotes Mike Maben to lead powerhouse football program
Mike Maben will go from calling the action to being part of the action.
He is the new Del Oro High School football coach, the next to lead the charge of a what has been a powerhouse in the Sac-Joaquin Section since the 1980s. The school opened in Loomis in 1959 and has won league championships nearly from the start.
Maben for years was the public address voice for Del Oro varsity games, detailing who carried the ball, who made stops and what’s tasty at the snack bar. During stoppages of play, Mabem would speak glowingly of teaching social science and physical education on a campus and in rooms he once attended as a four-sport scholar-athlete, and of coaching freshman football and the rise of girls wrestling in the state and the staying power of Del Oro boys wrestling. Maben was the head girls wrestling coach and an assistant with the boys.
A graduate of UC Davis, where he played football and wrestled, Maben takes over as football coach for Jeff Walters, who after three seasons in that role moved over to the Del Oro athletic director post.
Walters led three playoff teams in his Del Oro tenure, including teams that won section and Northern California championships on the field in 2018 before those titles were later vacated when a junior-varsity call-up played one down in a blowout playoff game despite not having clearance to play a varsity sport after a transfer.
Walters said of Maben, “He’s a great voice for the kids and our community. He’s very much about football being an extension of the classroom. It’s a perfect fit for us.”
Maben will be joined by another longtime familiar face of the program. Randy Fasani, the program’s greatest player, will assist Maben. Fasani was the nation’s No. 1 quarterback recruit in 1996 out of Del Oro when he signed with Stanford. He later played in the NFL and recently coached Ripon Christian. Maben and Fasani were Del Oro teammates.
Del Oro principal Chelsy Nauman said she was “surprised” Maben initially showed interest, and then she was delighted.
“I love Mike Maben,” she said enthusiastically. “His compassion and selflessness is apparent in everything he does. He puts kids, Del Oro, the community - anything with Del Oro - before himself. He’s always considering what’s best for others, how he can build people up. To me, Mike is that quiet leader. He’s the ultimate role model, helping people rise and be the best they can be. He’s that kind of phenomenal leader.”
Maben, per his humble nature, downplayed his role. He’s just a teacher and coach, he insists, but, of course, he is much more than that.
“I’m excited,” Maben said of his new role and challenge. “Del Oro is a special place. I know a lot of schools say that their plcae is special, but we are special. I want to make sure our students have the same good experiences I had as a Del Oro student. I didn’t have to think too hard about applying for the football job.”
This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 4:35 PM.