‘He will be deeply missed.’ Veteran Mountain View football coach Judd Benedick resigns
One of the Treasure Valley’s most decorated high school football coaches is hanging up his whistle.
Mountain View’s Judd Benedick, 49, turned in his letter of resignation Monday after 15 years leading the Mavericks. He said he’s stepping down to focus on his role as a father to his twin sons, Kade and Kai, who just finished their freshman seasons at Rocky Mountain.
“The timing is just right in that my boys are now in high school,” Benedick said. “I’ve kind of always said when that came around, if they weren’t playing for Mountain View, I don’t want to miss that. I don’t want to miss their high school experience and what’s going on in their lives.”
Benedick, an art teacher who lives inside the Rocky Mountain boundaries, added he couldn’t have stomached coaching against his sons.
“I won’t say it was easy, because it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Benedick said of his resignation. “But it was a no-brainer in what was right for my family.”
Benedick built the Mavericks from a solid program into a perennial state power, one that has reached the semifinals six times in the past eight years.
He posted a 116-42 (.734) record with the Mavericks, winning a 5A state title in 2016 and finishing second twice (2015, ‘14). The Mavericks won four league or pod titles under his guidance. And he only had one losing season (4-5 in 2010) and missed the playoffs twice in 15 years.
Benedick graduated from Capital High in 1990 before a hall of fame career at Pacific Lutheran University. The linebacker played in three NAIA national championship games with the Lutes under legendary coach Frosty Westering before returning to the Treasure Valley and following in the footsteps of his father, Ken Benedick, a longtime coach and teacher at Hillside Junior High in Boise.
Judd Benedick began coaching eighth graders at Lake Hazel Middle in 1996 before becoming an assistant at Boise, Timberline and Centennial high schools. He then took over Mountain View in 2007 as the second coach in school history.
Despite the state championship and league title banners, Benedick said his favorite memories all come back to the relationships he forged at Mountain View.
“I like to think our program is more than Xs and Os,” Benedick said. “We taught the kids how to love, how to sacrifice, how to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. And I think we accomplished that.”
Rocky Mountain and Mountain View have spent much of the past decade battling for supremacy in the 5A SIC. But Rocky Mountain coach Chris Culig said he was disappointed to no longer see Benedick on the sidelines.
“I knew it might happen, but I’m kind of bummed because I knew it was going to be a challenge,” Culig said. “I always knew his teams were going to be well-prepared, tough and well-coached. With he and I both being defensive-minded head coaches, we became friends. There’s a lot of mutual respect there. He’s done a tremendous job.”
Benedick follows Capital’s Todd Simis as the second veteran coach in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference to step down after the season. Simis, 53, had led Capital for 18 years.
“I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the world to pursue a dream, live out that dream and do it well,” Benedick said. “It doesn’t happen to everybody. There are tons of people to thank, and hopefully we did it right.”
Mountain View Athletic Director Scott Dew said Mountain View will move quickly to fill its head coaching position, setting a goal of naming a replacement in January.
“Judd Benedick is an icon at Mountain View High School and within the football community of Idaho,” Dew said in an email. “Coach Benedick established a high-achieving football program at Mountain View High School over the past 15 years. More importantly are the amazing relationships Coach Benedick created with his players, coaches, parents and community.
“We thank Coach Benedick for his achievements, contributions and friendships at Mountain View High School and wish him the best. He will be deeply missed.”
