By Don Ketchum

Once coaching gets in your blood, it rarely goes away.

It has been circulating in the veins of Doug Shaffer since he can remember.

He was the head football coach at Phoenix Horizon for a long time, leading the Huskies to the Class 5A championship in 1994(over Phoenix St. Mary’s) and a state runner-up finish in 1995 (also against St. Mary’s).

Shaffer retired after the 2001 season, working in the lower levels at the school, but recently agreed to return to the head-coaching position.

Back to the future.

“I missed the tradition. I missed the Friday nights,’’ said Shaffer, who turns 64 in May.

He said he asked his wife about the move, “and she said, “Go ahead.’ She always has been very supportive. We are going to take it year to year.’’

Shaffer knew there was a lot of work involved, but it was something he was willing to do.

“Sometimes you forget a lot of the little things that go with it, kind of makes your head spin. But that’s OK. I am readjusting,’’ he said.

Part of the process is putting together a staff of assistant coaches, and Shaffer said that is a work in progress. He is familiar with most of the candidates, including a former player or two.

He has been a substitute teacher at Horizon, often working at the school four or five days a week.

The biggest factor of all is the relationship he has with his players.

Shaffer mainly coached the freshman team since leaving the varsity, and the team posted 8-1, 9-0 and 8-1 records the last three seasons. Most of those players now are on the varsity.

“When Steve Casey (varsity predecessor) left, some of the kids came to me and said, “Will you coach us again?’ ’’ Shaffer said. “The more I thought about it, the more interested I became. These kids are a great group of kids, both on and off the field.’’

With a situation like that, who could resist?