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Parents, Students Rally For Elk Grove High Football Coach

ELK GROVE (CBS13) — An outpouring of love and support at the Elk Grove school board meeting Tuesday night, as the community rallied in support of a high school varsity football coach who they say was forced to resign.

"Anybody losing their job over this situation, it's just not necessary, the ends don't justify the means," said parent Josh Jordan.

"I don't imagine playing for a coach besides Coach Nixon...we all want him back," said a team member.

Chris Nixon is still an elementary school teacher with the district but after 9 years as head football coach at Elk Grove High School and 10 years of assistant coaching prior to that, he resigned last week. The resignation came amid allegations surrounding the construction of a team shed that the district says was not built to code. But now, Coach Nixon is fighting to get his job back.

"I submitted an email yesterday withdrawing my resignation. I'm truly sorry a building has become the focus of so much attention and trouble in this school district. I believe mistakes were made, and I take responsibility but I believe when the full story is presented, you will understand," said Nixon.

According to the district, mistakes were made in the construction of an equipment shed for the football team that was properly requested and approved. But upon completion, the shed was built bigger than authorized, without the proper permits.

"There was no authorization for anything other than an equipment shed for 250 square feet, but what's there now is a 30 by 30, almost a 900 square foot structure," said Xanthi Pinkerton with the Elk Grove Unified School District.

The project was started by Elk Grove's parent-led booster club to give the players a proper dressing room and storage space.

"I don't know why he's getting kicked out, or fired because he was just trying to help the team, help get us a team room cause without it, we were changing in the parking lot," said football player Ryan Vierra.

Now the hundreds of people who showed up Tuesday night want to know why their head coach is taking the fall.

"I'm hopeful that things will get resolved and we will get back to the business of teaching kids and coaching kids," said Coach Nixon.

From here the board will take recommendations to the superintendent's staff.

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