Ron Lee steps down at Saint Louis but still wants to coach

JERRY CAMPANY / JCAMPANY@STARADVERTISER.COM
Ron Lee, center, led his Saint Louis Crusaders football team onto the field for what turned out to be the last time on Oct. 28 at Punahou. Punahou beat Saint Louis 24-10 at Alexander Field, ending the Crusaders season at 4-5.

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JERRY CAMPANY / JCAMPANY@STARADVERTISER.COM

Ron Lee, center, led his Saint Louis Crusaders football team onto the field for what turned out to be the last time on Oct. 28 at Punahou. Punahou beat Saint Louis 24-10 at Alexander Field, ending the Crusaders season at 4-5.

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The Ron Lee era as head coach of the Saint Louis School football team has ended.

In a news release, school president Glenn Medeiros announced Lee was moving into the role of athletic operations advisor.

Lee, 78, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser he is retiring from the Saint Louis job but not from coaching.

“I still want to coach,” Lee said. “I still have that passion for coaching. It’s not going to be at Saint Louis.”

Ron Lee teamed with brother Cal Lee to form the nucleus of the greatest prep-football dynasty in Hawaii history. With Ron Lee as an offensive coordinator under Cal Lee, who coached the defense, the Crusaders won a combined 19 Oahu Prep Bowl and HHSAA championships. With Ron Lee as head coach, Kaiser High won the 1979 Oahu Prep Bowl.

After serving as assistant coaches at the University of Hawaii, where the Lee brothers were instrumental in the 12-0 regular season in 2007, they coached together at Kalani High before returning to Saint Louis in 2014. In 2021, Cal Lee stepped down as head coach but still ran the defense, with Ron Lee named as successor while continuing to coach the offense.

The past spring, Cal Lee announced his retirement from coaching.

“I didn’t think it was time for both of us to go out,” Ron Lee said. “I tried to keep things going.”

But in three seasons at the helm at Saint Louis, Ron Lee’s teams were 14-14. The Crusaders were 6-4 in 2021, losing to Kahuku in the state final. In ’22, the Crusaders went 4-5, finishing second in the ILH Open Division. This fall, Saint Louis was 4-5, going 2-2 in league play.

“I think it’s time for a change,” Lee said. “The Lees have been up there long enough. I think the administration is leaning toward that. We’ll see what happens. I’ll help Glenn with athletics.”

But Lee added: “I still love the coaching part of it. I’m going to miss that. Sometimes you’ve got to do what they want. … Maybe it’s time. We’ll see what happens.”

His three seasons as head coach followed the second head coaching stint of Cal Lee, who stepped down as head coach in ’21, but remained as defensive coordinator for two more seasons.

The departure of many players, most of whom had already secured college scholarship offers, marked the three-year span under Ron Lee. A declining economy following COVID and rising tuition costs combined to create a boon for public-school programs. This ’23 season was the first to end with an all-OIA Open Division state championship game.