Mohs made his mark

Mike Sciacca, Independent

Dave Mohs had a knack for coaching.

Better yet, he had a knack for endearing himself to many an athlete he

may have coached during his time at Edison High.

“Anybody who played for Dave wanted to give him their all,” Edison

Athletic Director Bruce Belcher said. “You just respected him so much. He

was a tough coach, but a fair one. He wanted to see you be your best as

both a player and a person.”

Many of Mohs former players and students will be in attendance tonight

when Edison hosts red-hot Marina in a Sunset League boys basketball

showdown. They’ll be there, many say, to see their former mentor get his

just rewards - the school’s gymnasium renamed in his honor.

Mohs, who retired from coaching at Edison in 1994, died at age 53 in July

of 1996, just two years after he was diagnosed with colon cancer.

“He had stepped down from coaching for a year, but missed it, and he said

that he planned to return,” Belcher said. “But at that time, he found out

he had cancer, and he never did return. His loss has left a big void in

my life.”

Mohs was Edison’s first boys basketball coach, where he coached the sport

for five years. His credentials, which included working under Elmer Combs

at Huntington Beach High, were just what the Chargers needed. His teams

were competitive, but not wildly successful, in terms of league

championships. One of his former players was Dave White, the current

varsity football and girls varsity basketball coach at Edison.

White played for Mohs during his senior year (1973-74). That season,

White says, Mohs sculpted a motley crew and turned them into a playoff

participant.

“We really had a lot of different personalities on that team, which would

have been tough for most coaches to handle,” White remembered. “But what

I recall of Dave was his intensity and competitiveness, and that’s how he

was able to pull this team together.

“He really did a good job orchestrating that ‘73-’74 team. He had a fire,

a passion for the game, and I personally learned a lot from him. I think,

even back then, that we had similar personalities. It was fun to come

back (to coach and teach) at Edison and be a colleague of his.”

Mohs left his varsity position, but was lured back to coach the sophomore

team after a one-year coaching hiatus. He oversaw the beginning of the

school’s boys basketball program, which included supervising the laying

of the gymnasium floor, but might be remembered most for his ability to

build a dormant Edison girls volleyball program into a CIF power.

Wins were meager for the Charger girls in the early 1980s, two lean years

yielding but three victories. Against 29 losses. No fun. Not for anybody.

Attendance was sparse, but little did anyone know, things were about to

change upon Mohs’ arrival in 1983.

His first team went through growing pains, but it tasted success in the

form of a CIF playoff berth. In fact, all 12 of Mohs’ volleyball teams

participated in the playoff championships. In his final year, the

Chargers reached the semifinal found, where they lost to Player of the

Year Misty May and Newport Harbor. That final team also made an

appearance in the State volleyball championships.

In his 12 years, Mohs guided Edison to four Sunset League volleyball

championships.

Friday’s Marina--Edison boys basketball game will feature an extended

halftime ceremony, with speeches by Principal Brian Garland and Belcher

preceding the unveiling of a bronze plaque honoring Mohs. His wife,

Ginny, is scheduled to be in attendance for the presentation, and many in

the crowd, including Edison Coach Corey Kelly and Marina Coach Roger

Holmes, will be adorned in Hawaiian attire - a favorite of Mohs.

The plaque will find permanent residency on the wall of the school’s

gymnasium. Belcher also said that at a later date, Mohs’ name will be

inscribed inside the tip-off circle at center court.

“You know, a lot of times it’s a knee-jerk reaction when something

happens - like a death - that people want to have something named in that

person’s honor,” Belcher concluded. “It’s district policy to wait three

years before you can do anything along that nature, but now, three years

have passed, and people are still clamoring to have our gym named after

Dave Mohs. I can’t think of anything better. He was here from the very

beginning.”