Modesto Christian stays within the community to hire its new football coach
Brett Butler had originally planned to take a year off coaching to focus on his business, The Performance Lab in Modesto.
But, when Modesto Christian Athletic Director Robb Spencer called last Thursday, Butler changed his mind.
Just six days after Ryan Green abruptly stepped down, the Crusaders named Butler as the new coach on Tuesday.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Butler, who coached the defensive backs at Modesto Junior College in 2018, said. “They are getting somebody that loves football.”
Butler called himself “as Modesto as they come”.
He played at Downey and after graduating in 2008, spent two years at MJC before moving on to Delta State.
“Modesto Christian is actually the closest high school to my business and I love the city,” Butler said. “I went from preschool to high school and JC in Modesto. I am not going anywhere.”
Butler said the Crusaders were going to get the best version of himself and he was focused on the job, which begins on Monday with spring practice.
“Football is football,” he said. “Whether I got the job a month or two days before, I am ready. The first couple of days is a combine style of practice and everybody will get a fair share and play the position they want.”
The hire puts an end to a tumultuous coaching search following the January resignation of Mike Parsons, who had coached there since 2014 following a six-year stint at the Salida school from 2004-2009.
The Crusaders won a CIF State Championship under Parsons in 2009 and shared Trans-Valley League titles in the last two years.
The 2018 season ended with a tough loss to Ripon Christian in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI semifinals.
Parsons stepped down about a month later, saying his “gas tank” was low and that he was in need of a break.
The coaching position went unfilled for a. couple of weeks before Ryan Green was hired. He came to the school without head coaching experience but with a son who starred as a freshman quarterback for Downey High School.
But his time there was short-lived when he shockingly walked away from the program earlier this month, paving the way for the hiring of Butler.
2018-19 Stanislaus District Football Coaching Changes
| School | Outgoing Coach | Incoming Coach |
| Beyer | Doug Severe | Greg Bockman |
| Gregori | Jason McCoy | Lamar Wallace |
| Modesto | Brett Wagner | Dylan Miller |
| Modesto Christian | Mike Parsons | Brett Butler* |
| Pacheco | David Snapp | Jeremy Siemiller |
| Pitman | Tom Tyler | Lance Weckerle |
| Ripon Christian | Trey Ozenbaugh | Randy Fasani |
*Butler takes over for Ryan Green who resigned after three months.
This story was originally published May 7, 2019 at 5:51 PM.
