Following his decision to resign from the position as head coach of the Gunn varsity football team, Matt McGinn accepted a football coaching position at Palo Alto High School (Paly).

According to McGinn, a few major factors weighed on his decision to coach at Paly. When word got out that McGinn resigned from coaching at Gunn, Paly was one of the schools that contacted him.

“I’ve known [head] Coach [Earl] Hansen for a long time,” McGinn said. “A major reason why I agreed [to coach] was because of my relationship with him.” Paly offered him a position early December and he accepted early January.

According to McGinn, coaching at Paly was never a part of the plan, but he hopes to become a better leader by following Hansen’s steps and learning from him.

McGinn also preferred to stay and coach in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). “Having to coach at a school different from the one I teach at has only happened once before,” McGinn said. “It’s an experience that I have to get used to.”

Because the decision was only recently made, McGinn has not interacted with the players a lot yet. He has mostly been attending meetings to familiarize himself with the offense and defense of the team and to learn their schemes. He has also attended coaching clinics at Burlingame and Reno to learn coaching techniques from National Football League (NFL) and college coaches.

“Right now is an adjustment period for me,” McGinn said. When the season starts next year, McGinn will be coaching the linebackers and tight ends, as well as serving occasionally as the offensive coordinator.

The Gunn football team is supportive of McGinn’s choice. “[The decision] is really up to him,” junior Yash Patel said. “It’s an opportunity for him; it affects us, yes, but it’s not for us to decide.”

Assistant coach Mark Weisman also believes that the decision is up to McGinn. “It really doesn’t matter how I feel,” Weisman said. “Matt is a close and personal friend. I thought we’d be coaching together [at Gunn]for a long time, but that wasn’t the way it worked out.”

Although he has not worked with the players yet, McGinn sees a major advantage for the Paly team. “The sheer number of kids on the team is a major advantage,” McGinn said. “It’s easier on all the kids since they can switch in and out more often.”

The experience has been very different from what McGinn is used to. He has to adjust to the fact that he does not coach at the same school as he teaches. “It’s a little odd, but in time it should get easier,” McGinn said. He said it will be a refreshing change to play against the Gunn team. However, it will be strange for him because he has relationships with many of the Gunn players.

Even though they will be playing against each other next year, Weisman said, “we’re still going to be good friends with him.”

The first game against Paly next year will be on Oct. 9, and since McGinn now coaches for Paly, he hopes that “it will end positively for Paly.”