Gabriel quits as coach at Maryknoll

Advertiser Staff

Former University of Hawai'i football hero Garrett Gabriel has resigned as a teacher and head boys basketball coach at Maryknoll High School.

"I want to emphasize it was voluntary, we did not request his resignation," principal Andrew Corcoran said yesterday.

Corcoran said he could not respond to questions about an incident on campus involving Gabriel.

Gabriel's teams had a 9-27 record in three years in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu; with a low of 2-10 this year. He taught physical education.

Gabriel said yesterday, "I felt it wasn't worth it, the pay, for all the time and effort you put into it, it wasn't rewarding for me. . . . It was time to move on."

He said he has been working on a master's in counseling at University of Phoenix. "I'm tired," Gabriel said. "It got hard, especially since our second child (a boy, Dillon, born in December). I decided to dedicate my time to improving my education."

Corcoran said Gabriel's coaching situation would have been re-evaluated at the end of the school year. "Coaches don't have tenure," he said. "They're year to year, same as me. It's been a difficult year for him.

"It would be foolish for us not to consider (his won-lost record)."

Before being appointed Maryknoll head coach in May 1998 at the age of 29, Gabriel was the varsity head coach for one year and junior varsity coach for two years at Radford and assisted his brother, Darryl, at St. Louis.

He had taught at Maryknoll since 1996.

Gabriel was an all-state football quarterback for Pac-Five in 1985 and an all-state basketball player for Maryknoll in 1986.

He led UH to a memorable football victory over BYU and into the Aloha Bowl in 1989, setting numerous passing records that stood for a decade.