PORTLAND -- Deering High baseball coach Mike D'Andrea, under fire for a victory party that allegedly involved underage drinking by students in the presence of adults, resigned Tuesday as baseball coach and also as girls basketball coach at the school.

D'Andrea's resignation followed the dismissals last week of three of his assistant coaches as a result of a June 21 party following Deering's win over Brewer for the Class A state baseball championship.

D'Andrea told the Press Herald last week he was not at the party and had little knowledge of it, a point he reiterated in his resignation letter to superinendent Jeanne Whynot-Vickers and Deering principal Ken Kunin. In the letter, he did cite "the scrutiny this event has placed on me" during school district's investigation.

"After the revelation of recent events involving the Deering baseball team, I feel this is the appropriate decision for me at this point in my coaching career," D'Andrea said in the resignation letter. "I want to make it clear that I did nothing wrong and this resignation should in no way infer to anyone an admission of improper actions."

Kunin said D'Andrea, who teaches physical education, will remain a teacher at the school.

"We received and accepted Mr. D'Andrea's resignation as coach of boys baseball and girls basketball," Kunin said. "We agree with Mr. D'Andrea that the resignation was the right thing to do and we respect his decision."

Kunin said last week the investigation of the party could lead to student suspensions at the start of the school year. Portland Police detectives have been conducting their own probe, which could result in misdemeanor charges.

Lt. Tony Ward said Tuesday the department's investigation is ongoing. D'Andrea has been Deering's baseball coach since 1997 and its girls basketball coach since 2001. His teams won seven baseball state titles and two girls basketball state titles.

In his resignation letter, D'Andrea said this won't be the end of his coaching career, but that he needs time to "reevaluate my goals and recharge my batteries.

"I am confident that this is the right decision for me both on a professional and personal basis," he wrote. "I am grateful for the opportunities that have been provided to me by Deering High."

The party in June brought D'Andrea's coaching career at Deering to an end, but it wasn't the first time he faced controversy as a coach at the school.

In 2001, he served a four-game suspension at the start of the 2002 baseball season for drinking a beer on the team bus following the team's third consecutive state title. His players were in a restaurant at the time.

In June of 2007, D'Andrea was suspended by the Maine Principals' Association for allowing two eighth graders to watch a basketball practice the previous winter, a violation of the MPA's policy against recruitment. As penalty, D'Andrea missed the first two games of last basketball season.

Doug Candage, father of Deering pitcher Taylor Candage, said D'Andrea's departure will be felt and called him "one heck of a baseball coach.

"I'm sorry to see him go," Candage said. "He's taught my kids a lot about baseball and was always straight forward with me if I had a question.

"Obviously, I don't condone drinking. I feel sorry for the whole baseball situation at Deering. It's a great baseball program."

South Portland High baseball coach Tony DiBiase coached D'Andrea as a basketball player at Portland High in the late 1980s and coached against him in the Telegram League. DiBiase said he's going to miss the head-to-head

battles as a coach against his former player.

"Mike's coaching record speaks for itself," DiBiase said. "The teams he put on the field were always well-coached and disciplined. I'm sure his competitive nature rubbed off on his players.

"It's too bad this has happened. I don't know the reasons he resigned."

D'Andrea is also coach of the Nova Seaford team that won the American Legion state baseball title Saturday and earned a berth in the Northeast Regional Tournament, which begins Thursday in Bristol, Conn.