After three years in the stands as a spectator, Mike Facteau will be back on the sideline.
Facteau, 44, was hired Monday as football coach at Taravella. It is his first coaching job since he quit three years ago as Ely’s coach.
He led the Tigers to district championships all four of his seasons as coach.
“It was probably just I was burned out,” Facteau said.
“My family was young. My son [William) was playing football for the University of Connecticut and I hadn’t had a chance to see him play. I wanted to see him play and spend time with my family. I just needed some time off.”
But after three years, it was time to come back. He said he found out Monday that he had been selected as the Trojans coach, replacing Jack Michalak, who resigned at the end of the season.
Each of Facteau’s Ely teams advanced as far as regionals. One made it to the state championship game, in 1987. In subsequent years his teams reached the state semifinals, sectionals and regionals.
“It was always us and Dillard,” Facteau said. “One year, they went on to win a state championship after beating us 21-19 on a controversial missed field goal that we thought was good.”
Facteau’s wife, Jennifer, probably recognized before he did that his coaching days weren’t over after he left the Ely job.
While they were watching their son play for Connecticut, she noticed that he was criticizing the action on the field from his seat in the stands.
She told him: “You should get back into coaching.”
