Sheldon names alum Tyler Martell its new head football coach
Sheldon football defensive coordinator and Irish alum Tyler Martell will be the program's new head coach, the school announced.
The move comes after former head coach Josh Line resigned in December.
Line had been Sheldon's head coach since 2016 and led the Irish to a 60-25 record (including the shortened 2021 spring season) and state championship game appearances in 2018 and 2022.
"It's kind of one of those jobs that's really the only football job I actually ever wanted," Martell told The Register-Guard. "I've been around Sheldon a long time, so it's kind of cool how things have come into place and get to not have to have a whole bunch of change program-wise. And have that continuity is really cool."
Martell teaches math at Sheldon and has served as the football program's defensive coordinator since 2017. He was also Sheldon's head baseball coach from 2016-2017, leading the Irish to back-to-back state semifinals.
A Sheldon alum, he played football for the Irish and was a part of the 2007 Class 6A state championship team. He started his coaching career at Sheldon while pursuing his bachelor's degree at the University of Oregon.
In an interview with The Register-Guard in December, Line said he hoped to see Martell succeed him as head coach.
"Sheldon High School is confident that Tyler Martell's leadership will continue the legacy of excellence in football, fostering a culture of community, hard work, teamwork, and success both on and off the field," Sheldon athletic director Ricky Rodriguez said in a statement posted on the school's athletics website.
Martell said there's not going to be a lot of changes "schematically and coaching-wise" other than a couple coaching spots to fill. He added he will still run the defense.
"It's just trying to continue this thing in the right direction," he said. "... There's big expectations.
"But we all sign up in athletics for those high-pressure situations, so I'm just excited about continuing the excellence that Sheldon football has gone through in the last 25 years."
Edith Noriega is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at ENoriega@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Noriega_Edith
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Sheldon Irish select Tyler Martell as new head football coach
