Joel Magill steps down as Amity head football coach

AMITY – Joel Magill has decided to resign as the Amity head football coach after 13 non-consecutive seasons with the program, he announced Thursday to the News-Register. Magill led the Warriors from 2002-04, 2008-10 and 2015-21, winning state championships in 2003 and 2009.

Asked his reason for stepping down, Magill, a history teacher at Amity High School, cited a desire to spend more of his summer with his wife, Mellissa. She recently accepted a job in Eugene as a library catalogue specialist. Mellissa’s new employment would allow them to finally spend the season together, Magill said.

“It really came down to weighing the pros and cons of being the head coach,” he noted. “I told (Amity athletic director Derek) Barnett I didn’t want to be the head guy anymore. There is just a lot of time involved in being a small-town football coach.”

Magill said he still enjoyed coaching kids, and most recently led the Warriors to a state playoff appearance in 2021. He credited the Amity football community for always being supportive of his coaching style.

“I’m going to miss the relationships with the kids,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed coaching them, and they’ve always been respectful here in Amity.

“It’s a gold mine of a place to coach.”

A critical aspect of his decision, Magill said, was also the recent restrictions placed on football because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He cited the frequent cancellations and additional protocols of the past two years as creating additional stresses for coaches around the state.

“It wore on me,” noted Magill.

In his Thursday interview, Magill also criticized OSAA’s decision to expand fall football seasons into early August, rather than starting preseason workouts in late August/early September. He said if the governing body pushes back the season to September again, he may return to head coaching in the future.

Magill thanked his assistant coaches for devoting their time and effort to his teams over the past two decades. He specifically thanked Mark Keen, who served with Magill for all 13 seasons.

As for his role with Amity football next year, Magill remains open to helping the program in a part-time role. Until a new head coach is hired, he’ll simply enjoy the offseason.

“I’m looking forward to having the summer off for the first time in my career,” noted Magill.