Football: Grannan steps down as St. Laurence coach

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Jim Grannan. | File photo

Updated: February 21, 2012 8:38AM

Jim Grannan is pretty excited about the future of St. Laurence football.

“I think we got the program back to respectability and got the kids coming back,” he said. “We’re getting football players again. But it’s going to take a lot more energy to get it to the next level.”

Grannan, 52, has resigned after nine seasons as the Vikings coach, posting a 45-48 record. He will remain as the athletic director at the Burbank school.

“I still enjoy the coaching part, but the January to August part ... I kind of want more time to myself now,” Grannan said. “I haven’t lost the love for coaching. There’s a good chance that I’ll want to coach the sophomores for the new guy next season.”

Grannan was a junior offensive lineman on St. Laurence’s unbeaten Class 5A state championship team in 1976. As a senior, he was All-Catholic League and helped lead the Vikings to a second-place finish.

After serving as an assistant coach at St. Laurence to both Mike O’Neill and Bob Fabrizio, Grannan became head coach at De La Salle in 1991. He remained there through the 2000 season, guiding the Meteors to a Class 5A semifinal berth in 1993 and the Catholic Metropolitan Conference title in 1999. His record at De La Salle was 54-49.

Grannan returned to St. Laurence in 2002 as AD and assistant football coach. He replaced Tim Johnson as head coach in 2003. Grannan’s Vikings teams earned three straight state playoff berths from 2007 to ’09.

“I enjoyed it,” Grannan said. “We’ve got great kids here. How many people can say they look forward to coming to work? It’s a good place to come to work. I’m just glad I got into teaching and coaching as a profession.”

Applicants for the St. Laurence vacancy should call (708) 458-6900, Ext. 246.