Steve Campbell hopes to be a much better football coach than he was a player.
At the age of 27, Campbell — a former backup quarterback at Arizona State University — was named this week as coach at McClintock High School.
"Every coach I always played for said I'd be a good coach," said the 6-foot-8 Campbell. "No one ever said I would be a good player."
Campbell has served the last two seasons as McClintock's offensive coordinator.
He applied for the head job when Dick Baniszewski stepped down because he was leaving teaching.
A son of a high school coach in Norco, Calif., Campbell said he always knew he would be a coach.
"I've always been around it," he said. "My dad taught me to be a good coach, not a good player."
After finishing with the ASU program in 1998, Campbell spent a season with the Arizona Rattlers. After being cut the next season, he decided to start teaching and coaching.
When he joined the McClintock staff, he figured it was temporary.
"When Dick came over and asked me to coach with him, I said, 'I'll let you know up front, I want to be a head coach and that's my goal,’ ’’ Campbell said. "I've been ready. When you are a coach's son, you are ready earlier than some other people are."
Campbell did enjoy some success at ASU. Due to an injury to Ryan Kealy, Campbell started in the 1997 Sun Bowl when the Sun Devils beat Iowa.
"In 20 years," said Campbell, "that will be a good trivia question."
