The Healdsburg High School Athletic Department has named Robert “Bear” Gray as the new head varsity football coach for the Greyhounds, replacing former coach Shaun Montecino.
A Sonoma County native, Gray brings in decades of experience both as a player and coach, having served as a defensive coordinator for a number of high schools.
His long resume includes stints at Rincon Valley Christian, Elsie Allen, Santa Rosa and Montgomery High Schools. In addition, he patrolled the sidelines as an assistant coach in the junior college ranks at College of Marin, Solano JC and Diablo Valley College.
A former star player during his playing days, Gray is a member of the Sonoma State University Hall of Fame.
The veteran coach has not skipped a beat since taking the reins this summer, engaging the Greyhounds in a strong off-season program that promises to have them playing at a competitive level this fall.
“I’m really enjoying coaching these kids so far — they’re starting to learn what I’m bringing to the team,” Gray reported. “I always admired the program at Healdsburg under coach Tom Kirkpatrick and I’d like to get our football team back to that level. I want to bring pride back to the school.”
Although his background is rooted on the defensive side of the ball, Gray emphasized the need for offensive balance.
“We’re going to be a 50-50 type of team, with good balance between run and pass,” he said.
Among the challenges of coaching football at Healdsburg in recent years has been a decline in overall roster numbers, but the first-year Greyhound coach does not see that as an obstacle. Currently the varsity team has a roster of 25 players.
“I coached eight-man football at RVC and turned that program around in five years,” he noted. “I don’t need 60 guys on the team, just get me 11 that can play.”
