Dimalante Gets a Grand Send-Off

One thing is for sure about outgoing football coach Jon Dimalante: He is a man with a lot of friends. Several hundred people recently gathered in the lavish backyard at the home of John and Leslie Golper to honor Dimalante for his 17 years of service to Apache football.

The event was billed as “Coach D’s Retirement,” only the coach is not retiring in the traditional sense of the word. He will still be teaching physical education at Arcadia High, but will no longer be the Apaches’ head coach.

So, this was more of a grand send-off for a grand man.

Mayor Bob Harbicht was there to present him with a plaque. Many of Dimalante's former players were also there, in addition to his family and, of course, numerous friends.

“What all my friends and our Apache Family did for me was a night I will forever cherish and appreciate,” Dimalante told Arcadia Patch. “It overwhelmed me.
“Words can’t describe just how wonderful I felt seeing all of the people I love the most. It was an experience that you can’t ever buy. The last 17 years have been the best time of my life. I thank everyone for that.”

Dimalante had a 113-76-1 record and . Led by quarterback Myles Carr and wide receiver/safety Taylor Lagace, the Apaches went 9-3 and were co-Pacific League champions. , and , were amongst those to pay tribute to Dimalante.  

John and Leslie Golper offered their home because their son, UCLA linebacker Todd Golper, played for Coach D.

It came as somewhat of a surprise . He said at the time that . Penny Dimalante said the other night that her husband knew this senior class was special, and that he had been thinking about retiring for quite a while.

It’s become fairly common in recent years for local high school head coaches to step down. Muir, La Salle, Rosemead and Alhambra, to name a few schools, ended up with coaching vacancies after this past season.

With school budgets getting tighter, high school football coaches make part-time pay for full-time work. Actually, the hours add up to much more than full-time.

Chris Long, who has been named to replace Dimalante, was among those in attendance at the Golper home on June 9. Long has had a lengthy off-and-on history with the Apaches, beginning in 1997. This past season he was assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.

Long, who commutes to Arcadia from Carson, was asked if he planned to move to Arcadia now that he is the head coach.

“I can’t afford Arcadia,” he said.

Such is the life of a high school football coach — long hours, little pay. However, as Dimalante can attest, it is all worth it.