Mike Zdebski steps down as Hamilton High School football coach
Chandler Hamilton football coach Mike Zdebski resigned on Tuesday.
The Chandler Unified School District shared a letter with the media from Chandler Athletic Director Brett Palmer to the Hamilton football community, stating that Zdebski announced his resignation effective Tuesday, after six years leading the program, and that a national search is underway to find his replacement.
"It was the right time," said Zdebski, who did not elaborate on it.
Zdebski came to Hamilton from Michigan, where he was a Hall of Fame high school coach.
"We are incredibly grateful for Coach Z's leadership and dedication to the Husky program over the past 6 seasons," Hamilton Principal Mike De La Torre said in a letter crafted by Palmer to the football community. "He did a great job rebuilding Hamilton's name back into a respectable program in the East Valley and the State of Arizona. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors."
Zdebski led Hamilton to the Open Division state playoffs each season since it began in 2019. In 2020, he had the Huskies in the state final, before losing in the last minute to Chandler.
This year's team lost to Peoria Liberty in the Open quarterfinal, after becoming the first Arizona team to lead the Lions in the fourth quarter of a game this season, before losing 39-27. Hamilton opened the season with a 56-20 loss to Liberty. The Huskies were the only Arizona school to score at least 20 points against Liberty, doing it twice.
Zdebski came in during a difficult time in the Hamilton football program, trying to transition from a hazing scandal that cost Steve Belles his job.
He had led Walled Lake Western to 160 wins and 17 Michigan playoff appearances that included five semifinals and two state championship games and a 1999 Division I state title.
Hamilton needed stability after the program and community were rocked by hazing that led to arrests, lawsuits and the principal, athletic director and head coach to be removed.
Administrator Dick Baniszewski served as a gap stop in 2017, serving as the interim coach. That team went 8-4 but gave up 32 points a game and was blown out of the playoffs by quarterback Brock Purdy and Perry 72-14.
In Zdebksi's first season in 2018, the Huskies went 3-7 and failed to make the state playoffs for the first time in school history.
He knew he needed to get kids in the weight room, out on the track, and he pushed them into a turnaround 2019 season, winning nine games, before losing to Scottsdale Saguaro in the semifinals in the first year of the Open playoffs.
After his first year at Hamilton, the Huskies put together 9-3, 8-2, 11-1, 8-3 and 7-4 seasons.
"Coach Z did a tremendous job restoring the Husky pride back here at Hamilton High School," Palmer texted to The Republic on Tuesday afternoon. "He put in countless hours to make sure our kids and staff succeeded and we are grateful for that.
"He's a great guy that I call a friend and I am glad I had a chance to work with him. He will be missed."
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mike Zdebski steps down as Hamilton High School football coach
