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OAKLAND — In Napoleon Kaufman’s six seasons as Bishop O’Dowd’s football coach, the Dragons reached the mountaintop, winning a state championship three years ago and a section title last season.
Monday, the former NFL running back informed the players that he is not coming back, according to Tom Shaddle, whose son, Matthew, is a junior lineman on the team.
A day earlier, O’Dowd was left out of the North Coast Section Division III playoffs, marking the first time in Kaufman’s tenure that the school did not advance to the postseason.
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Kaufman, a pastor, was just getting out of church Sunday when he was told over the phone by this news organization that the Dragons missed the playoffs.
O’Dowd played a tough nonleague schedule and finished 3-2 in its league. But the Dragons were 3-7 overall.
“I’m not surprised,” Kaufman said Sunday about not getting into the playoffs. “I’ve been telling people it would be nice to get in. We had strength of schedule on our side. But I think for us, we had to have a signature win, and we didn’t have one.”
Tom Shaddle called it “a rough 24 hours for the kids, no playoffs and now Coach leaving.”
Kaufman could not be immediately reached for comment.
Quarterback Jesse Madden said the team was not shocked by the announcement.
“We all know that Coach loves us, and that he loves coaching at O’Dowd,” Madden said. “We also all know that he takes pride in being a Pastor at his church. I would not say we were shocked because we all know that Coach loves spending time with his family, and coaching took time away from him being with his family, and it took time away from him being at his church. So now he will have time to spend with his family and time to be at his church.”
Added receiver Sterling Stokes, “It wasn’t a shock to me. I kind of figured it would be his last year. Since this is his son’s last year of high school.”
