Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Hutzler.
Jeff, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Grew up in a family of educators (mom, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins were all teachers, administrators and coaches at both the high school and college levels) and never really considered doing anything else but what I am doing. Started teaching and coaching in 1983 after graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno (ran track and boxed for UNR). Have taught and coached in Reno, Upstate New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and here at LJCDS. Have coached high school football, track and field, basketball and volleyball. Earned my MEd from UNLV in 2001. Have been the Athletic Director at LJCDS since 2002 and was head football coach for 12 years.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have always loved what I do and have always considered it much more of a calling than a job. In fact, when hiring coaches, I look for those that also consider it a calling and not a job. If you are in it for the money, high school coaching is not the way to go but if you are in it to reach and teach young people through sport, you will have a rewarding career. The biggest struggle along the way was, and still is to some extent, the time that coaching requires and how that time away from home affects your family. I didn’t always handle that push and pull as well as I could have when I was a young coach.
Please tell us about La Jolla Country Day School.
LJCDS is the finest school in San Diego because it is a kid centered school that encourages (pushes) kids to reach their potentials as students, artists and athletes and it does so in a culture that surrounds the student with people of impeccable character. LJCDS is a safe place to step out of one’s comfort zone, to try new things and to make mistakes. My side of the school succeeds because we are both deep through the middle and bottom of our department (no cut policy, 100 teams on campus grades 7-12, athletic participation that hovers right around 90%) and elite at the top (some of San Diego’s and California’s top teams and over 60 alumni participating at the college level).
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Tough to say……..probably balanced family and professional life better. All in all, I am in the right career and am proud of the many young people, many of them grown now, for whom I have been lucky enough to be a positive part of their lives.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9490 Genesee Ave. La Jolla CA 92037
- Website: www.LJCDS.org
- Phone: 858-453-3440
- Email: jhutzler@LJCDS.org
- Twitter: @TorreyAthletics
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