Max Miller was living the good life, far removed from football.

He spent 14 days in September in Hawaii with wife Sally, picking through aloha shirts and exploring beaches. And he played golf on weekdays at Lake Tahoe.

All that, yet Miller is back coaching football.

Miller returned to Rio Americano High School last week for two reasons.

He vows to salvage a season that was on the brink of collapse when players were at odds with the previous coach over team policy. And he wants to quench his never-ending desire to mentor youngsters and win football games.

Miller, 72, the winningest coach in Sac-Joaquin Section football history, relishes his latest challenge.

"It's true, and you know Max," Sally Miller said after her husband's first practice as a head coach since his final days at Cordova in 2007. "This is who he is. The football field is where he belongs, surrounded by kids who want to learn."

Miller's last stint as a head coach included two ambulance rides to a hospital because of exhaustion. He doesn't just coach; he pours every ounce of his soul into it. After victory or defeat, he's spent and disheveled, looking grayish and sounding hoarse, and that likely won't change.

Last week, while on a golf course in Truckee, Miller took a call from Rio Americano principal Brian Ginter, who pleaded with him to take over the Raiders. Miller and his wife hopped into their car, nearly forgetting their golf bags, and raced back to Sacramento.

Last month, 11 players quit the Rio team after a teammate wasn't allowed to miss a game to participate in a baseball showcase. The players later asked to return and were reinstated by Ginter, against the wishes of coach Christian Mahaffey, which led to Mahaffey's dismissal.

Originally posted here:
Hometown Report: Miller bags the good life to coach football again at Rio Americano