Todd Schulte has stepped down as head coach of the Salpointe Catholic High School football program after exactly four weeks on the job, the school announced on Friday morning. He will be replaced by Eric Rogers, another longtime Lancers assistant.
Schulte, who was hired Dec. 13 to replace the retiring Dennis Bene, "had a change of heart and has decided against accepting the coaching position to focus on his duties and responsibilities as a member of the Salpointe faculty," according to a news release from the school.
Schulte said that “after reconsidering the time commitment necessary to be an effective teacher and football coach, I have decided not to be the head football coach this year." Schulte, who teaches math at the school, is expected to remain on Rogers' staff for the 2020 season.
Rogers graduated from Canyon del Oro High School in 1993 and played collegiately at Connecticut, serving as a starting linebacker and team captain during a 1998 season in which the Huskies won 10 games for the first time. Rogers played two seasons of arena football after college. He joined Salpointe's staff for the first time in 2002, staying through the 2007 season. He was a freshman coach at Tucson High in 2010, then returned to the Lancers for five seasons starting in 2011. Rogers spent the 2016-17 seasons coaching linebackers at Pima College before rejoining Bene's staff in 2018. Rogers owns and runs a local marketing and communications company.
Rogers said in a release that he is "so excited to be the next head football coach at Salpointe Catholic.”
“Salpointe has the best student-athletes, parents, staff and alumni," he said. "My family and I have been blessed to be a part of Lancer football and I am thankful to have worked for many years with Coach Bene. I look forward to leading our Lancer football student-athletes."
