Ron Miller 'grateful' to be returning home as West York head football coach

Ron Miller didn't hesitate when asked if this was the only job that would get him back into coaching.

"Yes," he said before the question was done being asked. "If it were meant for me to be back, that's where I'd go back."

Miller was officially approved as the new head football coach at West York Area High School Tuesday night. It will be his second stint at the school after leading the football program from 2006 to 2014.

Most York County sports fans don't need to be reminded how successful that nine-year tenure was.

Miller led West York to eight playoff appearances, four trips to the District 3 semifinals, two trips to the title game and a District 3 Class 3A title in 2008. The Bulldogs went 86-25 over that stretch.

It remains one of the most successful stretches in York County football history.

Miller stepped down from coaching for family reasons following the 2014 season but resurfaced at Dallastown in 2018. In his four years there, the Wildcats showed flashes but went just 14-22 with one winning season and no playoff appearances.

When he stepped down for "personal reasons" following the 2021 season, Miller said he wouldn't rule out a return to coaching but was more focused on his family than football.

He ended up staying away just one season.

"It's been a great journey and a difficult one, but along the way I realized coaching is more than just football," Miller said. "I started dusting off notebooks from my first job at Wagner College. Then I (broadcasted) a game for WOYK and started breaking down games. Things were starting to happen and as luck would have it, the place I would consider home and is extremely important to my entire family was in need of a football coach.

"I can't even begin to tell you how grateful and excited I am to get back to West York football."

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A graduate of Mount Caramel High School and Susquehanna University, Miller took over West York's program in 2006 after serving as Susquehanna's offensive coordinator. The Bulldogs were coming off a 4-6 season but had a long track record of success under legendary coach Terry Bupp.

But the program has struggled since Miller's departure — making the playoffs once and finishing with zero winning seasons over the past seven seasons. The Bulldogs went just 5-31 the past four seasons. Ivan Quinones, a former defensive coordinator under Miller at Dallastown, resigned as West York's head coach in November to take a job as a private investigator in Baltimore. West York went 2-8 last season.

Miller acknowledged the Bulldogs will need to "take little victories and try to build on those initially." He said he's planning to meet the returning players and their parents soon and that putting together a coaching staff "is priority No. 1."

West York averaged just 25 to 30 players on its roster from 2019 to 2021, but that number grew to 53 this past season. The Bulldogs 34-20 win over York Suburban in Week 4 was one of the biggest upsets in the YAIAA this past season.

The Bulldogs will bring back some talented players next season including rising senior quarterback Mark Walker and rising sophomore center Slade Moore. Miller said the youth program had four teams in championship games this fall.

Miller said he's been through rebuilding situations before. Dallastown won three combined games in 2019 and 2020 but went 6-4 his final season in 2021.

"I haven't felt this energized ever," the 52-year-old Miller said. "I've learned to go about things differently, and I'm excited to try that. And if we fail, we'll admit our failures, learn from it and move on. I think it's going to be a different energy from what anyone's been used to. And that includes me."

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Miller said he's been in "preparation mode like I've never done before." But he said that preparation has been more about overall program building and reflecting on himself than about studying Xs and Os.

He admitted that coaching has changed since he left West York and that he's learned a lot since then. Known for his intensity on the sideline, Miller said he'll need to take a different approach this time.

"The vision of this program moving forward will be if you are part of it then it will have a positive impact on the success you have in life," Miller said. "We're going to sell our program to students in the halls. It's going to be positive and upbeat. It's a blank slate.

"Society in general has changed. There's so much social media ... it's a just a lot. Students missed two years of school and social interaction (from COVID). I see it in my classrooms, and my daughter has gone through it. It's not the same student we've dealt with. We have to teach them to slow down, and there's a lot of work that goes into being successful."

Miller said he will remain an alternative education teacher at Dallastown while coaching at West York. He said he's planning to meet with West York athletic director Brandon Fuhrman and Principal Carrie Jones this week and will spend more time in the community to "generate electricity" around the program.

While Miller has stepped down from coaching jobs before, he said he's planning to stay at West York "until the tires go off."

"This is going to be a lot of fun," Miller said. "I want to prove to West York how important they truly are. I want to be the best Ron Miller I can be. I have a hunch if I do that we're going to start to see (the stadium at) Bannister Street crowded again."

Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: West York High School bringing back Ron Miller as head football coach