Dave White returning to Edison football coaching staff

After spending the last three seasons away from Edison High’s football program, Dave White will be returning to coach at his alma mater.

White, who served as head coach of the Chargers for 31 seasons, said he will be a wide receivers and defensive backs coach for Edison in the upcoming year.

“I played there for four years and coached there for 38, so most of my life has been spent there,” White said of coming back to Edison, which went 9-3 overall, finished second in the Sunset League at 4-1, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs in 2019. “Jeff Grady is the head coach. I coached him.

“Most of the coaches on the staff, either I coached or I coached with, so it’s a little bit of a homecoming reunion. I’m looking forward to it, helping out in any little way that I can.”

In his final season in charge of Edison in 2016, the Chargers won the CIF Southern Section Division 3 title, defeating La Mirada 44-24. Edison also went 13-2 overall and 5-0 in winning the Sunset League.

White said he “never burned out” on coaching, but the 64-year-old has no desire to become a head coach again. He added that he had opportunities to coach at other high schools or the junior college level, and yet, home was where his heart was.

“I bleed green and gold,” White said. “For two-thirds of my life, I have been a player or coach there. I love the community, and I love the coaching staff.

“It’s just a tight-knit group. I’ve always loved the Edison players. I think they always work hard, and it’s a community school. There’s no other place for me to go. I wouldn’t want to go any other place.”

White owns a career record of 238-119-3 as the head coach of the Chargers, winning 13 Sunset League championships and two CIF titles.

White was sixth on the all-time list for most coaching wins in Orange County at the time of his retirement. He had stepped down to watch his son, Garrett, play football at Yale.

In coming aboard as an assistant coach, White said it affords him the flexibility to make a couple trips during the season. He would like to see alumni Mike Saffell (center at Cal) and Griffin O’Connor (quarterback at Yale) play.

White’s oldest son, Matt, is the offensive coordinator at Boise (Idaho) Timberline High.

“We’re obviously excited to have Coach White back,” Grady said via text message. “He’s a huge asset to our program, and we can’t wait to get started.”

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