Bishop Amat football coach Steve Hagerty, whose team went 2-8 this season and suffered back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in school history, resigned Friday, sending shockwaves throughout the San Gabriel Valley and beyond.

Hagerty took over in 2009 when the program was struggling. He coached 17 seasons, had a winning record 14 times and won five league championships. He had back-to-back undefeated seasons in the Mission League in 2018 and ’19. His overall record was 118-61-1.

Hagerty took the Lancers to the CIF Southern Section semifinals three times. He led the Lancers to the Division 1 semifinals in 2014, where they lost a heartbreaker to Corona Centennial. In 2022, the Lancers reached the Division 2 semifinals and lost to Sierra Canyon.

But the past two season were rough, especially this season. The Lancers went winless in league for the first time and missed the playoffs. The Lancers were 4-7 in 2023 and lost to Serra 48-14 in the first round of the Division 2 playoffs.

Hagerty will remain an athletic director at the school and will play a role in the hiring of Amat’s next coach.

Hagerty is a 1980 alum of Bishop Amat and was part of the program’s coaching staff during some of Amat’s historic years in the 1980s and ’90s.

The Southern California News Group obtained a letter Hagerty sent to his coaching staff announcing his resignation. In the letter he said he felt like it was time to move on.

“Been giving it a lot of thought and it’s simply time for new leadership,” Hagerty wrote. “I no longer believe I am the guy to guide this program effectively, and I care about it so much that I need to step away and let someone else take the sails. I am proud of my 17 years as head coach and walk away with my head held high.”

Hagerty also released a statement through the school.

“My time as the head football coach at Bishop Amat has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of my coaching career,” Hagerty wrote. “I am proud of my 17 years and am especially grateful for all of the coaches who stood beside me along the way, all of the players who allowed me to lead them into battle. I am committed to ensuring a smooth transition and am happy to assist in any way I can during this period.”

Bishop Amat has one of the area’s strongest traditions, having won five CIF-SS championships, but it hasn’t won a title since 1995. Still, it will be seen as one of the biggest football coaching vacancies in the SGV in more than a decade.

A possible replacement from Hagerty’s staff is offensive coordinator Sean Koelle, although the school will likely attract a large pool of interested candidates from all over.

“We will immediately begin a thorough search to find the next head coach for our football program,” Bishop Amat president Richard Beck wrote in a statement. “It will be someone who can build on coach Hagerty’s legacy and guide our student athletes toward a future rooted in both tradition and growth.”