North Bend coach Bill Masei has taken the head coaching job at Dallas High School.

Bill Masei is putting family ahead of continuing as head coach of the successful football program he has built at North Bend High School.

Masei announced his resignation from the Bulldog post Tuesday, a day after he accepted the head coaching job at Dallas High School, which will reunite him with his family in the Salem area.

“It’s bittersweet,” Masei said of switching jobs. “I’ve had 10 years of great relationships with people in the community and with students, teachers and parents. Now it’s time to be a better dad and husband.”

Masei’s wife, Tobi, took a job teaching special education with the Willamette Educational Service District last June. She and the couple’s three children — Alika, Micah and Malia — have been in Salem since then.

The family decided to have two homes on a trial basis, giving Tobi time to see if she liked her new job and Masei a chance to coach a group of seniors he has grown particularly fond of through their final year.

As it turned out, Tobi loved her job and Masei found after football season that being separated from his family was agonizing.

“Living apart wasn’t so bad in football season,” Masei said, referring to long weeks filled with practice and extensive film study in addition to his regular teaching job. “The last three months have been real difficult.”

That made the decision to take the new job an easy one, even if it wasn’t Masei’s first choice.

“I think in the ideal world, it would be nice to have my family back home and be staying here,” Masei said. “The Dallas job is going to be a good opportunity for me and my family.”

Masei had an emotional meeting with his players Tuesday to tell them of his decision.

“This was a hard day for me,” he said. “(But) I’ve always preached to my kids that the priorities in life are family, then school, then football. ... I think all the kids know those priorities. I’m leaving to be part of the family.”

North Bend athletic director Boyd Bjorkquist said the school administrators will meet this week to decide how to proceed with the search for a new coach. One challenge will be matching the coaching post with a teaching position, if the school does not hire an existing staff member as the new head coach.

“We’ll get the word around the state to get the best coach we can,” Bjorkquist said.

Masei arrived at North Bend as an assistant coach 10 years ago. He served in that role three years before taking over as head coach for North Bend’s final year in the Midwestern League.

Masei’s first team went 1-8 overall, but the group thrived when it dropped down to the Far West League. In the past six years, North Bend went 28-4 in league play and won three playoff games. Masei’s overall regular-season record at North Bend was 39-24.

Last fall, the Bulldogs finished second in the Far West League and nearly upset top-ranked Sisters in the state quarterfinals, falling on a last-minute touchdown.

Bjorkquist said Masei has left his mark on two sports. He coached the high jumpers and pole vaulters on the track and field team for several years, in addition to his work with football, which included four straight years sharing or winning the league title outright.

“He’s done a fantastic job,” Bjorkquist said. “Bill has been a great recruiter in our school to get kids playing football.”

Bjorkquist noted that Masei has been a tireless fundraiser for the school’s athletic programs, has done a good job getting volunteers involved with the football program, including several former players, and has worked hard to make character a priority in the program.

“He’s going to be tough to replace,” Bjorkquist said.

At the same time, Bjorkquist is happy for Masei.

“It’s certainly good for Bill,” he said. “We want what’s best for him. We’re excited for Bill.”

Rather than be disappointed, Bjorkquist said the school will take “the glass is half full, not half empty” perspective.

“It’s going to be tough to replace Bill, but it’s also an opportunity,” he said. “We’re confident we’ll be able to get somebody in here who will continue to build on what Bill’s done the last six or seven years.”

Masei, meanwhile, will step into a challenging coaching position.

The Dragons reached the Class 5A playoffs last fall, but play in the tough Mid-Willamette League, which has produced the last two state champions (Corvallis and West Albany).

Dallas was coached last year on an interim basis by Karl Elliott, who came out of retirement, agreeing to coach one season after Gary Thorson resigned last June.

The Dragons went 7-4 overall last fall and 4-3 in league play, losing in the first round of the playoffs to Hillsboro. The school’s junior varsity and freshman teams combined to win one game.

“It’s going to be a challenge, but it’s something I’m looking forward to,” Masei said.

He always will look back fondly on his tenure in North Bend, when the team was successful and the football stadium improved dramatically through a large number of donations, including new grandstands on both sides of the field, new entryways and, last summer, the installation of a FieldTurf artificial surface.

“Whoever gets this job in North Bend will be a lucky man,” he said.