A Thaw in Relations : Player, Coach Set Aside Chilly Alliance as Van Nuys Drives for Playoffs

They would never be mistaken for friends.

George Engbrecht is the first-year football coach at Van Nuys High. Third-year starter Bill Calhoun is the team’s star. On the field, they work together. Off it, they rarely speak.

Calhoun, a 6-foot, 185-pound senior tailback and free safety, is spontaneous and free-wheeling. Engbrecht is not. He is dean of students at the school, a disciplinarian who chooses his words carefully and believes in organization and self-control.

Calhoun is no more Engbrecht’s type of player than Engbrecht is Calhoun’s type of coach.

But this relationship goes a step beyond personality differences. Calhoun thought Engbrecht singled him out unfairly last year when Engbrecht judged him responsible for a game-ending brawl against Canoga Park. Calhoun still resents Engbrecht because of the incident.

Engbrecht, 43, was named coach last spring, and Calhoun left the team twice and dedicated himself to finding a new school. After failing to transfer, Calhoun has emerged as a team leader despite his battles with the coach. If Engbrecht calls for a pass, you can bet Calhoun wanted a run.

But despite their differences, their arguments and their past, the relationship has evolved into what it needs to be--no more and no less: “It’s a working relationship,” Engbrecht said.

It does work. Calhoun leads the team in rushing (599 yards) and scoring (seven touchdowns). Filling in for injured quarterback John Peterson, Calhoun has thrown three touchdown passes in the last five quarters. A victory Friday night at home over Birmingham would give the Wolves (5-4, 3-3 in East Valley League play) a playoff berth in their first year at the City Section 4-A Division level.

Calhoun and Engbrecht are probably surprised they have made it together this far into the season. It has been a daily struggle.

Last season, Calhoun played quarterback and free safety. Engbrecht worked on a master’s degree at night and kept close tabs on his son, Chad, who was Canyon High’s quarterback.

Although Engbrecht had coached the Van Nuys B team from 1981-89, he had had little contact with the varsity and had no interaction with Calhoun until the fight at Canoga Park, which was joined by players from both schools.

In the aftermath, Van Nuys Principal Bob Scharf, hoping to eliminate bad feelings between the teams, summoned Engbrecht. Scharf asked the dean to view the game film and possibly ascribe blame. Engbrecht concluded that Calhoun, among others, was out of line.

“That kind of bothered me about him, because I didn’t think it was right for him to say anything about it since he didn’t see the beginning of the film (the cameraman did not capture the beginning of the fight),” Calhoun said. “He didn’t see how the fight started in the first place.”

Despite being singled out, Calhoun was not disciplined by Scharf or Coach Kenji Mochizuki.

When the season ended, Calhoun heard reports that Mochizuki would be fired and that Engbrecht would replace him. The news hit Calhoun like a powerful punch.

During Calhoun’s first two years at Van Nuys, he and Mochizuki had developed a strong friendship--on and off the field. He fit Mochizuki’s style of play.

“He just encouraged us to hit as hard as we could. That’s why I think we got along so well,” Calhoun said.

On Dec. 19, Mochizuki was fired. One week later, Engbrecht replaced him.

Although Calhoun stayed with the team and participated in spring conditioning sessions, he frequently missed practices and by his own admission rarely gave 100% when he did show. He resented Engbrecht and it showed.

Unable to get genuine effort or commitment from Calhoun, Engbrecht asked him to leave the team. Calhoun obliged but didn’t stay away long. A week later, Calhoun was back at practice, but giving as little as he had before.

A few weeks later, he quit. This time he went looking for another team.

“I just didn’t want to come back and play for Van Nuys,” Calhoun said.

He considered moving into the Poly district and even visited Coach Fred Cuccia.

“(Cuccia) said, ‘Make sure if you move over here, you do it right,’ ” Calhoun said. “But it never panned out.”

He also mulled transfers to Montclair Prep and University, where Mochizuki had landed a co-coaching job.

But nothing worked out and Calhoun was certain Engbrecht had something to do with it.

“He’s a dean and a football coach, so I know he had some part in not letting me transfer schools,” he said.

Engbrecht denied any involvement in Calhoun’s transfer bid.

“It was a conflict of interest,” Engbrecht said. “I did not involve myself with it. I had nothing to do with the decision.”

Out of options, Calhoun quit football.

“I had my mind on other places, taking care of other things,” Calhoun said. “I just told myself, Van Nuys is over with. I’m not gonna play. I actually had everything from Van Nuys boxed up and put away--jerseys and everything.”

But friends and family convinced Calhoun otherwise. During a pickup basketball game, Frank Grossman, a Taft football assistant and friend of Calhoun’s, advised him to return.

Even Mochizuki, though angered over being fired, tried to persuade Calhoun to reconsider his options.

“Moch just said stick at Van Nuys and try to play it out . . . try to deal with it,” Calhoun said.

“He’s just my coach,” Calhoun said of Engbrecht. “As the season goes on, I seem to be liking him more and more. I don’t hold any grudges. What he said, he said. That’s done with. I put it aside.”

In a personal show of faith, Calhoun purchased a special mouthpiece just before the Wolves’ rematch with Canoga Park last month. If his teeth are not clenched around the apparatus, it falls out. In other words, it helps Calhoun keep his mouth shut during games. Silent aggression on the playing field is something he has learned from Engbrecht.

If nothing else, he has learned there is more than one way of doing things.

“There’s more team unity (this season),” Calhoun said. “Last year there were just a lot of individuals out here. So, I guess it’s OK.”