Ken Miller could have been content as an educator and as a beloved football coach at the University of Redlands and at Yucaipa High.
But Miller, who died at 82 on Wednesday following a brief battle with cancer, was ambitious and an adventurer. His wanderlust took him to the apex of the Canadian Football League.
Miller coached in four CFL Grey Cups, the Canadian equivalent of the Super Bowl. He won one as an assistant with the Toronto Argonauts and another as an assistant with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He also narrowly lost two of the big games as the head coach of the Roughriders in 2009 and 2010.
Miller once explained his philosophy on life to the late Inland Empire sportswriter Harvey Cohen.
“We had tremendous community support in Yucaipa,” Miller said. “I would have been content to continue my service in Yucaipa, but other challenges beckoned. I often told my children and young people to live life as a continuing adventure.”
Local Success
A native of The Dalles, Oregon, Miller began his odyssey as an assistant coach at Dickinson State in 1966. But by 1970 he was at Yucaipa High and led the Thunderbirds to their first league title and playoff berth in 1974.
By 1977, Miller had signed on as an offensive line coach at the University of Redlands. He was the head Bulldog coach from 1984 to ’87 before becoming an assistant again in 1988 – a post he kept until 2000.
A versatile instructor, Miller was also the University of Redlands baseball coach for 15 years.
Second Act
Seemingly retired at age 59 and ready to settle down with his wife Maureen, Miller got a call in 2002 from his former University of Redlands colleague Gary Etcheverry who was in Canada. Etcheverry coaxed Miller to become the quarterback coach of the Toronto Argonauts.
That served as the springboard which netted Miller two Grey Cup championship rings as an assistant coach and the two narrow misses at victory with Saskatchewan in the 2009 and 2010 Grey Cups.
The infamous 2009 game is remembered as the 13th-man game. The Montreal Alouettes missed a 43-yard field goal on what should have been the final play of the game. But the Roughriders had too many men on the field, allowing Montreal another chance. The Alouettes then made the shorter field goal for a 28-27 victory. Miller showed his character following the bitter loss, swearing the Roughriders to secrecy about who made the mistake and then hugging every player on the team before they left the dressing room.
A day after the defeat, 1,500 fans welcomed the Roughriders back to Mosaic Stadium. Said an emotional Miller, according to Riderville.com, “I am so proud of these men who are on the stage with me. I’d like to say they’re all mine, but they’re not. They’re yours.”
Grandfatherly Figure
Miller was much loved, wrote sportswriter Darrell Davis of the Regina Leader-Post.
“Players adored him. In the media, we adored him, and how rare is that? He was this grandfatherly person. He was like your grandfather coaching the football team.”
Miller, in fact, was known as “grandpa” in Saskatchewan. Colleen Conner simply knew him as dad.
“Today we lost my stepfather after a brief battle with cancer,” Conner wrote on social media. “Ken Miller left a profound mark on the Inland Empire as a teacher, principal, and coach. His career took him to the Canadian Football League, where he was deeply respected by his players.”
Miller wasn’t only cherished by athletes. He genuinely liked kids and was admired by many, even the ones who weren’t necessarily in shape or athletic.
“My YHS PE coach,” former Yucaipa High student David Castaldo said on social media. “Great guy. He treated me and the other fat kids with respect.”
At the University of Redlands, Miller took a gamble on an undersized scrapper from San Bernardino named Daren Espinoza who became the team’s shortstop and later a successful coach in his own right.
“Miller was a true gentleman,” Espinoza said on Facebook. “I learned so much from him, especially about life. I will always be thankful for the opportunity you gave me back in 1989. You made me feel special and always kept your word. You will be missed by many but forgotten by nobody.”
A third-generation San Francisco native. His first job was in Watsonville, where he wrote stories on a typewriter and people smoked in the office. He's covered Redlands, San Bernardino and Riverside.
