For 14 years, John Muller served as the athletic director at St. Bonaventure High, leading the Seraphs in fierce rivalry games against Bishop Diego.
Muller is now a Cardinal.
He took charge of the Bishop Diego athletic department on July 1, replacing alum Aaron Skinner, who accepted a position as a coach and teacher at Oregon City High School.
Though he was at a rival school, Muller had good dealings with the coaches at Bishop Diego.
“I had always had a good relationship with (football coaches) Tom Crawford and John Hazleton,” Muller told Noozhawk. “When their athletic director stepped down, I thought it would be a nice chance for a change and to try something new.”
Prior to his 14 years at St. Bonaventure, Muller was the athletic director at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai. He’s well versed on how things work at parochial schools and in the Tri-County Athletic Association. He is the current president of the association, which is composed of the Tri-Valley and Frontier Leagues.
“I bring a lot of experience,” Muller said about what he brings to Bishop Diego. “I have experience with the area, the officials association and different athletic directors both in Santa Barbara and in Ventura County.”
Muller is looking forward to going up against St. Bonaventure in athletic competition.
“I think seeing the rivalry from this side will be exciting,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for the coaches at Bonaventure and I coached those kids down there for a lot of years, so there’s a big spot in my heart for those guys over there, but I think the rivalry will be great and intense.”
A large part of the rivalry between St. Bonaventure and Bishop Diego are the battles on the gridiron.
Muller has had a hand in those football matchups, as he coached St. Bonaventure as both an interim head coach and an assistant during his there.
The Seraphs have combined for an impressive 20-6 record in the last three seasons, including wins against the Cardinals in back-to-back seasons.
Along with his duties as athletic director at Bishop Diego, Muller will continue to contribute to football, serving as an assistant coach. He’ll work with the offensive and defensive linemen.
“I’ve already talked with Tom Crawford and we’re excited to get things going,” Muller said about his role with the team.
Muller will have a new sport to handle on the job. Bishop is planning to field a girls flag football team in the fall.
“I’m really excited to watch those girls on our new flag football team,” he said. “It should be very fun.”
On top of the pair of Cardinal football squads, Muller is anticipating the volleyball and basketball seasons to be exciting ones in his first year at Bishop Diego.
“I’m looking forward to helping run games in the Brick House rather than be a spectator there,” he said. “It’s such a great environment.”