Often described as “old school,” Joe Miller was a no-nonsense leader who expected the best effort from his players on the field and beyond it.
The former Manteca High head football coach died Friday at age 72 after a four-year struggle with lung cancer. His son Kevin said Monday there will not likely be a funeral service. Joe’s wish was to have his ashes scattered at Black Rock on Kaanapali Beach in Maui, where he vacationed annually with Kay, his wife of 51 years.
Joe is also survived by his daughter Becky, Kevin’s twin sister, and grandchildren Hailey, 17, Stephanie, 17, and Garrett, 14.
“He was a wonderful father,” Kevin said. “Everything I learned in life was from my dad. He was a great coach and we spent a lot of time together. His passion for sports was definitely passed down to me.”
Born in New Mexico, Joe Miller lived in Stockton for much of his childhood and graduated from St. Mary’s High and Sacramento State before beginning his 35-year coaching career at Delta of Clarksburg, where he won Sac-Joaquin Section Division III titles in 1977 and 78. Joe coached football at Delta for 17 years but also dabbled in basketball, baseball and tennis.
“He coached wherever they needed him,” Kevin said. “If there was a spot they couldn’t fill, he was more than willing to fill it.”
Kevin was Delta’s quarterback from 1984-86. He went on to play football and baseball at Chico State and tried his best to keep up with his dad’s success at Manteca High while playing minor-league baseball for the Detroit Tigers organization for four years.
Joe coached Manteca’s football team for 10 years, compiling a 55-48-3 record. His coaching career fittingly ended with a 21-0 win over Del Oro in the 2001 SJS Division II championship game, and he retired from teaching health at the school two years later. Miller and the Buffs had previously lost to Del Oro 20-12 in the 1993 Division II finals.
“We wanted to (win the section title) for Coach Miller, and we were pretty stoked to be able to send him out on top,” Ricky Martinez said, a star player for Manteca’s 2001 squad — the school’s first of four section championship teams.
Miller’s personal rivalry with Del Oro actually didn’t start with his time at Manteca. He served as defensive coordinator for legendary East Union coach Jim Brown, who passed away in 2011, back in 1989 when the Lancers dropped a 29-22 decision to the Golden Eagles.
“I only got to play for him one year and we were better because of him,” said Jason Stock, a senior on that 89 team and current offensive coordinator for East Union. “He’s one of my favorite coaches and I appreciated his candor. We all loved playing for him.”
Eric Reis wanted nothing more than to beat him at one point.
A Manteca graduate, Reis’ coaching career began as an assistant for Greg Leland across town at rival Sierra. It was Reis who succeeded Miller, and he is going into his 15th season as Manteca’s winningest head coach (121-36-2).
“It’s so crazy because I wanted to beat him so bad, but he was gracious when I took over,” Reis said. “I wasn’t sure how he’d respond and he was phenomenal. He did our stats was real good about helping out if I asked for anything, but he also did not want to overstep his bounds. It was never, ‘Hey, why don’t you do this instead, or why don’t you do that?’”
With few remnants of the 2001 championship team, Reis guided Manteca to an improbable run to the SJS Division III title game where the Buffaloes lost to Colfax 33-30. They took third in the Valley Oak League in 2002. Manteca has since won section titles in 2005, 2006 and 2013 to go with a CIF Northern California Bowl Game appearance.
For as much success as Manteca has enjoyed with Reis at the helm, he said it started with Miller.
“When Sierra opened that just devastated Manteca High,” Reis said. “It took away coaches, teachers as well as student-athletes. Joe was able to weather the storm and bring the program back up.
“(In 2002) we had lost a lot of talent from that section championship team, but the kids expected to do well because of that team.”
Martinez is proud to be part of that history, not only for the success that came with it. Growing up without a father, he said Miller helped fill that void in their short time together. Martinez embraced his harsh coaching style, adding that the Buffaloes’ play reflected their coach’s personality.
“A lot of today’s kids probably wouldn’t be able to handle Coach Miller, let’s put it that way,” Martinez said with a chuckle. “He’s an old-school football guy, and personally that’s what I loved about him. His teams were known for being hard-nosed — we thrived off of that — and it’s because of him.
“My junior year coming up I was overshadowed by some of the seniors on our team, but he still made me a team captain. He was stern, but ultimately he was a good guy, and I found that out by working hard for him. He’d always come around and be a friend to his players after they graduate. He’s definitely someone I’ll never forget.”