After nearly three years on the job, Anzar High’s 25-year-old athletic director Sam Stewart announced his resignation this week.
Stewart’s decision to step down came after he decided to pursue his teaching credential, he said.
“This has been great, but it was time for me to make a decision and move on,” he said. “This is something I need to do.”
Stewart, a 2005 graduate of Anzar, took over the athletic director position in 2009 after he graduated from Menlo College. Stewart also served as the assistant baseball coach and, at times, the girls basketball coach.
This year, Stewart agreed to take over the baseball program full time after longtime manager Andrew Barragan agreed to become the assistant coach for Billy Aviles at San Benito High.
Despite leaving his post as athletic director, Stewart expects to remain the baseball and girls basketball coach, which he took over for the second time earlier this year.
“I’ll still be living in the area,” he said. “I’m not leaving here.”
Stewart decided to resign after “a long time” thinking about his next step, he said.
“I was thinking about it for a long time,” he said. “I decided it’s now or never. I want to get my teaching credential.”
Stewart will remain the athletic director for the time being, as school administrators search for his replacement. Once the replacement is found, and trained, Stewart will step down, he said.
“Everything is officially unofficial,” he said. “I’m leaving but the exact date is unknown right now. It depends on a few things.”
During his time as athletic director, the school established its first football program and continued to get more competitive with its sports program.
“It was a great experience,” he said. “It was the right thing for me at the time. We accomplished a lot over the three years, and we are still getting better.”
He continued, “It’s hard to leave but I still come back.”
Stewart filed his resignation early last week, Stewart said. As of Tuesday, the school has not received any applications for the opening.
Stewart plans to enroll at Cal State Monterey Bay.
