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Sandy • After four seasons at the helm of the Alta football program, coach Bob Stephens confirmed with The Salt Lake Tribune his decision to step down from the position Tuesday afternoon.
Stephens said his commitment to coaching interfered with his ability to spend time with his family, which ultimately led to his resignation.
"It's been something on my mind for a while. It had to happen," Stephens said. "It was hard to tell the team. That's not an easy thing, but it's a thing that I needed to do at this point in my life as a father and a husband."
Stephens accumulated a 25-20 record, including four playoff appearances, during his tenure. He will retain his responsibilities until the end of the year.
"He's going to help with the transition with the new coach," first-year Alta principal Brian McGill said. "Equipment handoff, policies and procedures, budgeting. He's been really gracious in terms of wanting to help Alta football is going to be top-notch."
The Hawks finished 2-9 in 2014 after beginning 0-7 — the worst start in the program's 36-year history. McGill said the decision was not based on performance and was made entirely by Stephens.
"I was proud of our team," Stephens said. "We competed and fought very hard. With the low numbers and the amount of injuries we had this year, we fought to the very end. The more I would try to help bring it around, took me more away from my family. That was the hard thing. It kept consuming more and more time."
McGill expects the position to be officially listed later Tuesday, but he noted several candidates already expressed interest in one of the premier coaching destinations in the state.
"We'll run that position for about 10 days. Any and all prospects can apply," McGill said. "I would like to hire, preferably, somebody in-house — somebody who is a teacher. I would seem to think we'll get a pretty competitive pool of football coaches coming in."
McGill organized a committee consisting of himself, additional administrators including athletic director Morgan Brown, parents from the community and former University of Utah coach Ron McBride.
The decision on Stephens' replacement is expected to be finalized in late January or early February, McGill said.
"I love Alta," Stephens said. "I'm a Hawk and will always be a Hawk in my heart."
-Trevor Phibbs
Twitter: @trevorphibbs