Mills' No. 1 fan

Home or road, doesn’t matter. Christian, more often than not, will be there, cheering on the Vikings.

It’s the perfect role for Christian, a native of Southern California who was former three-sport high school athlete before moving up north to attend San Francisco State University.

He has spent plenty of time serving as a coach, athletic director and starting sports programs as he was coming up through the school ranks. His role now allows him to stay involved in sports, without the day-to-day grind of running teams.

“I would be asked if I wanted to help (coach Mills’ teams),” Christian said. “But I really don’t want to be committed to it every day. That’s not my grind.”

A late comer to the education field, Christian, 59, got a degree in history, while also spending 10 years as an emergency medical technician, before getting his teaching credential. Once he got into teaching, he spent time developing athletic programs at several schools on the coast, eventually becoming a teacher and athletic director at Brandeis School in San Francisco. He eventually got his master’s degree and got into school administration, serving as assistant principal at Abbott Middle School in San Mateo for six years.

“I meant to be a history teacher, but I ended up doing a lot of sports,” Christian said.

He was involved with coaching his daughters in youth softball and was still developing programs and coaching when he finally hooked on at Mills in 2009. As dean of students, he was tasked with, essentially, to be the face of the school for the student population.

When he found out what that entailed at Mills, he was all in.

“The [San Mateo Union High School District] says it’s a priority to have a dean supervising what the school needs. Some schools do Saturday school,” Christian said. “My school said, ‘We want you at the kids’ games.’

“That’s great. I like watching games.”

It’s not purely altruistic, however, as Christian does receive a stipend for attending games. But he does not just give lip service. He’s out and about everywhere, all the time, watching Mills perform. And it’s not just athletics, as he is involved with the school’s arts departments, as well.

“I go to every football game, flag and regular. Every basketball game on the road. I go to all the dances, I go to the musicals, I go to the plays. Somebody needs to be there,” Christian said. “i’m getting paid to do something that I like.”

Christian said spring is his favorite time of year on the athletic calendar. The spring season features nine sports for Mills athletics — badminton, baseball, golf, lacrosse, softball, swimming, tennis, track and volleyball — and there are times he can see every team in action in one day.

And during his time at Mills, he has become sort of a quasi-coach. He has developed relationships with several of the team’s coaches and they have let him address teams, while also serving as a sounding board for coaches and athletes.

Those relationships enable Christian to see the inner workings of teams and how he can best help both the coaches and the players. He said he got close with the former girls’ basketball coach, the late Dave Matsu, who eventually allowed him to address the team following games. That tradition continues with Dave Matsu’s son, Justin Matsu, who took over for his father.

Sometimes, it was simply to provide relief for a coach who would be losing his mind during the game.

“I got close with Dave and he would let me be the whisperer. I could talk him off the ledge and I could be inspirational with the kids. I was the conduit between (players and coaches). I am the buffer,” Christian said. “I don’t tell coaches how to coach and I only talk to the ones who are friendly with me. I’m being a shepherd. I’m not an Xs and Os guy. I would never tell them what kind of defense to run.”

Christian’s main role is simply to be seen and be involved — by and with students, student-athletes, coaches and parents. During the Mills’ softball team’s loss to Notre Dame-Belmont in Belmont last week, many of the girls were waving and saying hello to Christian and they went in and out of the dugout. It makes the student-dean relationship a little less scary when student-athletes see the dean of students constantly cheering them on.

And let’s face it, Christian enjoys the recognition.

“Just being seen. Shaking hands, kissing babies,” Christian said. “I feel like I’m kind of like the mayor. … I’m the head cheerleader. That’s my wheelhouse. My whole thing is being seen by as many people as possible without being right next to them. Let people know that I’m around.

“To be around these kids, it’s fun for me. I love my job.”

Nathan Mollat is in his 24th year covering high school sports in San Mateo County for the San Mateo Daily Journal. He can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.