This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Riverton football coach Mike Miller, whose wing T offense frustrated opposing defensive coordinators for years, stepped down this week after 11 years at the Jordan District school and 28 years as a Utah prep coach in order to complete training in hopes of becoming a principal.
Long-time defensive coordinator Brent Hawkins, who has coached at Riverton since the school opened, has been named as his replacement.
Miller won the state championship in 1998 in his first year as Olympus coach before taking the Riverton job a few years later. He only experienced one losing season and only missed the playoffs once in a long and distinguished career.
"Last year, I started an administrative program," he said. "I went through the program, but I made football a priority. I spread myself a little thin in the program. The grim reality when football ended hit me and I started checking on my intern hours. I am not far behind, but not as far ahead as I would like.I felt like if I am going to jump into an internship, I needed to go all the way. I have never been a halfway guy with football."
He said he will remain as a teacher with hopes of eventually getting a principal job.
"I've worked with good people and good kids," said Miller, known as one of the nicest guys in the business.
— Tom Wharton