Colony football head coach opts to step away from position

PALMER — As the son of a longtime high school coach, to Rhett Magner, football and family are synonymous. But sometimes one needs more attention that the other. After three seasons as head coach of the Colony football program, Magner has opted to step away from his position to spend more time with his own young family.

“It’s one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make,” Magner said. “That’s why it took me so long to make it.”

Magner, a husband and father of two young children, ultimately made the call to step away in March.

“I was struggling with it,” Magner said. “Unfortunately, the list was growing. Not negative things. But things that contributed to the decision not to coach.”

Magner works full-time on the North Slope, with an unpredictable schedule. He said he can be away from home two, three, even four weeks at time. When he is home, Magner said, he’s wanted, and needed at home.

“I made a deal with the administration I would do it 100 percent,” Magner said of his job as head coach. “If I can’t do it at 100 percent, I can’t do it at all.”

Manger said he had worked during the summers for his company on the slope, and once a full-time position became available, it was a financial opportunity he could not refuse.

During his three seasons, the Knights finished a combined 19-8 and advanced to the postseason in each season.

Magner said he learned a tremendous amount during his time as the program’s head coach.

“Everything,” Magner said. “It shaped the future of what I want to do as a professional. You kind of learn a lot about yourself. What you specifically like to do, how I like to help youth.”

Longterm, Magner said he’d like to build a career around helping young athletes.

“I’d love to own my own training facility. Not for just the Colony kids, but everybody in the Valley,” Manger said.

Magner said he’d like to play a role in helping Valley athletes celebrate success.

“As much as we’re rivals, I was happy to see the Wasilla boys win a state championship. For a Valley team to do that in any sport is awesome,” Magner said. “I want to be part of that. That’s kind of what I learned as three years as head coach.”

Magner said he would also like to continue helping out the program in some type of role.

“I would love to. When I talked to the seniors when this all came about, they were disappointed to say the least. That was tough on me. It was hard for me to completely walk away,” Magner said.

Magner has worked with the Colony High boys’ basketball team as a strength and conditioning coach since he returned to the Valley after college.

“I’d love to be involved in the offseason, kind of like what I’ve been doing with the basketball team all these years,” Magner said.

Magner, a 2005 graduate of Colony High, was a star on the gridiron for the Knights. He was a three-time first-team all-state selection, and signed with Division I Bowling Green State University during his senior year. Magner’s father Randy was a longtime head coach of the Knights. His older brother Cole, a standout at both Colony and Bowling Green, was named the 2000 Alaska Player of the Year in football.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.