This former NFL wide receiver is joining the Coast Union High coaching staff this fall

First-year Coast Union High School football head coach Andrew Crosby will have quite the experienced staff to draw support from — including another newcomer with a very heady resume.

Retired NFL receiver Michael Young — a UCLA graduate who caught 144 passes in a 10-year career for the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos — will help out with the team of 18 players for the upcoming 2018 season.

Young joins offensive coordinator Charlie Casale, who has brought his coaching skills to Bronco football for the past 10 years — following a 20-year Hall of Fame coaching career at Mount Whitney High School in Visalia, in which he complied a 143-69-2 record.

“Our program is on the rise, and we want to give our kids the best possible coaching experience,” Casale said in an email interview.

Young was a standout receiver for Casale at Mount Whitney. When Casale recently asked Young to volunteer for the Broncos program, he “called right back.”

Casale notes that Young has caught passes from Hall of Fame quarterbacks John Elway and Joe Montana (when Montana was with the Chiefs). Young caught four touchdown passes from Elway against the Seattle Seahawks in 1989 to help Denver clinch the AFC West title.

Also on hand for part-time football mentoring at Coast will be Casale’s former Mount Whitney quarterback Mark McKay, who later served as the starting signal-caller for San Diego State University. Former Mount Whitney line coach Bill Corliss has also offered to help Casale. At Mount Whitney in 1978, Corliss helped develop Don Mosebar, a future NFL star, who was an outstanding tackle and center with the Raiders for 12 years. Mosebar was a Pro Bowl selection for three years.

The three retired players will “basically be teaching fundamentals… we will see how much time they have,” Casale said. “I have run basically the same system as when they played, so the terminology part will be easy for them.”

Coast Union’s first game is scheduled for Sept. 1 at Riverdale Christian Academy on September 1. That game will be broadcast on KTEA-FM (103.5) and streams live on 1035ktea.com.

Coast Union football schedule

Sept. 1: @Riverdale Christian, 1 p.m.

Sept. 7: @Laton, 7 p.m.

Sept. 14: @Laguna Blanca, 3 p.m.

Sept. 21: vs. Trona, 7 p.m.

Sept. 29: @Trinity Christian, 1 p.m.

Oct. 5: vs. Maricopa, 7 p.m.

Oct. 12: vs. Cuyama Valley, 7 p.m.

Oct. 19: vs. Desert, 7 p.m.

Oct. 26: vs. Valley Christian, 7 p.m.

This story was originally published August 21, 2018 at 2:49 PM.