Pasadena High Football Coach Ron Jones out after disputed season

Ron Jones, head football coach at Pasadena High School, says the school has ended his tenure, months after a season that he says was marked by disagreements with administrators over player safety and scheduling.

In a statement released November 3 to Local News Pasadena, Jones said Pasadena High informed him that morning that his time as head coach had ended. He thanked players, their families, his staff, and the community for the opportunity to lead the Bulldogs.

Jones pointed to the program’s 2024 CIF Southern Section championship, the school’s first football title in that section since 1933, as a highlight. He said he was most proud of the players who made it possible.

The 2026 season, he said, began with a difficult roster situation. After 21 seniors graduated from the 2025 team and 10 starters transferred, Jones said only two seniors remained. He said he and his staff recommended moving to a junior varsity schedule, first in the spring and again over the summer, citing safety and readiness concerns. According to Jones, administration chose to play varsity without consulting the coaching staff.

After three games, Jones said, the school’s athletic trainer submitted written safety concerns, and the district forfeited the remainder of the varsity season, including the Turkey Tussle at the Rose Bowl. Jones said public reports suggested coaches and administrators had agreed on the forfeit. He said that was not accurate, and that neither decision was made in consultation with his staff. He said his staff learned of both decisions afterward.

“Our staff deserved a seat at that table,” Jones wrote, noting that he grew up in Pasadena and Altadena and understands what the Turkey Tussle means to both communities.

Jones said he had only a handful of meetings with the principal or athletic directors in his three years back at the school and never received a year-end review or a clear sense of the direction administrators wanted. This was his third stint coaching at Pasadena High.

“I am disappointed in how this ended,” he said, “but I am proud of what our players and staff accomplished.”

Jones said coaching is about accountability, character, and preparing young men for life beyond football, and that he plans to continue that work at his next opportunity.