Neil Gordon wanted to be a head football coach again. He just didn't think it would happen this fast.

Gordon was hired last night as the new coach at Shaler High School. He succeeds Jacque DeMatteo, who left a few weeks ago to become Hampton's coach.

"I wanted to be a head coach, but I just didn't know when, where or what the circumstances would be," said Gordon. "This one has to be a classic of how it all happened."

Gordon was Penn Hills' coach the past 21 seasons and enjoyed plenty of success with the Indians, compiling a 156-72-2 record. But the Penn Hills school board decided not to rehire him after last season, which irked Gordon and many residents in the Penn Hills district.

Gordon, 59, expressed a desire to be a head coach again someday but was more than happy to take the offensive coordinator's job at Shaler a few months ago.

"When I came to Shaler, I never thought all this would happen," he said.

"I'm happy. It certainly doesn't wipe away what happened in the past.

"But I still have a love of the game and the love of the kids. This puts me back into a situation where I can deal with the kids and the game."

Gordon will bring some of his former Penn Hills assistants with him to Shaler.

"I like the kids. I like their work ethic," he said. "I'll give Shaler everything I have and see what happens."

First Published: June 25, 2008, 8:00 a.m.