Miramonte announces new head football coach

ORINDA –  Miramonte tabbed an experienced defensive mind as its next head football coach when it announced Nick Safir as the program’s new leader last week. 

“I am incredibly honored and excited to be named the head football coach at Miramonte High School,” Safir said in a school press release. “It is a privilege to have the chance to work with such a talented group of student-athletes and to contribute to the proud tradition of excellence that defines Miramonte football.”

Safir, an Oakland resident who attended St. Mary’s-Berkeley high school from 2003-06, spent the past two seasons at Moreau Catholic as a defensive coordinator. 

“Miramonte’s gain is Moreau’s loss,” Moreau coach Keith Minor said in the press release. “Nick is a prepared, fiery coach who loves his players and wants the best for them. He wants to lead a program that produces good sons, good brothers and good future fathers.”

The 35-year-old has also spent time at Encinal and Piedmont as an assistant coach. 

“This was an extensive search and hiring process with many qualified candidates, and Nick stood out from the beginning,” athletic director Sean Hennessy said. “We talked to a number of people throughout this process and everyone he has worked with or coached against agrees that he is not only an excellent football coach, but a great leader of young men.”

The Matadors won the North Coast Section Division V championship, the program’s ninth section crown, in 2023. Miramonte then parted ways with longtime head coach Jack Schram after the season.