NFL's Jon Kitna named as Waxahachie HS head coach

Courtesy WISD

Waxahachie High School

Courtesy of Dean J. Koepfler/ The News Tribune

Sources: NFL's Jon Kitna named as WHS head coach

Abes coach John Kitna and the sideline erupts as the defense stopped the Irish Friday 11/14/14 and hung on to beat O'Dea High School in a thriller 35-30 at the Lincoln Bowl in Tacoma. Kitna confirmed Wednesday he was a candidate for WHS's head coach position, to be determined by WISD board members Thursday night


Posted: Wednesday, January 21, 2015 1:53 pm |  Updated: 8:19 pm, Wed Jan 21, 2015.


 
BY SHELLY CONLON Daily Light Digital News Editor

Jon Kitna, a former NFL quarterback, confirmed Wednesday he is indeed a candidate for the head coach position at Waxahachie High School.


 
"I'm going to defer an interview right now. There's still a lot of 'I's' to dot and 'T's' to cross," he said via his school phone. "But I'll be happy to do an interview after the fact."



Multiple media outlets across the nation started reporting that Kitna had been named as Waxahachie High School’s new head coach Wednesday afternoon.

As of 1:22 p.m. Wednesday, Candace Ahlfinger, spokeswoman for Waxahachie Independent School District, stressed the importance of the fact that “nothing has been decided at this time.” Before a new head coach is named, the school board must vote in a public meeting for the decision to be final.

"We have had wonderful candidates for the position which reflects the great heritage of our football program and community as a whole,” Ahlfinger said after Kitna’s confirmation, adding the district has had a “large number of applicants.”

Kitna, who played quarterback in the NFL for 16 years, traded his pads for a clipboard in 2012 when he became the head football coach of Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington.

As head coach for the Lincoln Abes, he led the team to back-to-back 3A Narrows championships in 2013 and 2014, compiling a 24-8 record during his three years with Lincoln, reaching the postseason in all three years, including a run to the Class 3A state quarterfinals in 2014.

Administrators with Lincoln confirmed that Kitna officially resigned this morning after serving three years with the school, which also happened to be his alma mater.

Following an interview with Kitna, The Tacoma (Washington) News Tribune reported this afternoon: “Kitna, who spent the final four years of his 16-year NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys, said it came down to sustainable positions for his assistant coaches.


“Five assistants will go with him, including brother Matt Kitna. Junior quarterback Jordan Kitna, Jon’s son, is going, as is junior tight end Devan Brady, whose father is Lincoln assistant Evan Brady. The other assistants leaving are Casey Kjos, Damola Adeniji and possibly Corey McBride, who had not decided as of Wednesday.”


The News Tribune article stated because the semester in the Tacoma Public Schools ends Friday, “Kitna is expected to leave and begin his new position in Texas immediately." The article also reported: “Kitna also said he believed Lincoln’s success wasn’t sustainable under the current structure he had with his assistant coaches, though Waxahachie was the seventh school – which included one unnamed college – to contact him in the past two years about a coaching job.


“If it was sustainable, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Kitna said.


“I was contacted on the phone two weeks ago (by Waxahachie) for the first time. I said, ‘If you can make it right for my assistants, I know you have the support in place there that makes it sustainable. If you can make it right for my assistants, I feel like that’s the direction I need to head.’ And he didn’t blink and it was all approved last night at 9 p.m.”


That would have been 11 p.m. Waxahachie’s time Tuesday. At 9:40 p.m., Waxahachie ISD board members were in an executive closed session, not included on the agenda of Tuesday’s called meeting. The meeting was the third of three executive sessions that night.

Board members at the meeting said because the closed session was not on the agenda, no action could be taken regarding anything in that session. It’s unclear if Kitna’s name came up in the last meeting, or what “it was all approved last night at 9 p.m.” means, but board members did confirm Kitna’s name came up in closed session. By law, board members cannot take action on an item in closed session. Any decision must be made in a public meeting.

Earlier this week the district did post a meeting notice for a special called meeting for 6 p.m. Thursday, with agenda items including an executive session to discuss the open head football coach and athletic director positions.

“A number of names came up and we received an update on all applicants and we had several outstanding applicants, and he was one of them,” said board member Joe Langely said about Tuesday’s closed sessions. “But no action was taken. We'll be voting tomorrow night.”

The WISD school board will be holding that called meeting at the WISD administration building on 411 N. Gibson St. The only action item on the agenda is to “consider and possibly name a new head coach.”

Ahlfinger confirmed that no action was taken after the last closed meeting Tuesday, adding Kitna’s quote in the News Tribune that “all approved last night at 9 p.m.,” could mean anything and she had “great faith (the WISD board) would have not done something illegal.” She said before she was hired, she had several discussions about her possible position in the district with WISD superintendent Jeremy Glenn prior to officially receiving the job, which is natural. She said Glenn will make a recommendation on a coach to the board before they vote in the open meeting Thursday.

When asked if the superintendent had similar conversations with Kitna, she responded: “If his name is the one that comes out of that board meeting tomorrow night, then I think it's very likely that Dr. Glenn would have done his homework.”

Ahlfinger also said she could not release information on any other possible candidates for the position.

Pam Thompson, a spokeswoman for Tacoma Public Schools, confirmed Kitna had resigned from his position at the high school Wednesday morning, but added the district did not have information on where Kitna was going next. However, Kitna did not respond by press time regarding the information in the News Tribune’s article.

The News Tribune broke the story this morning, reporting on Twitter and in a news story on the Tribune's online newspaper that an “unnamed source confirmed the job Jon Kitna is taking is head football coach at Waxahachie High School (5A), half-hour south of Dallas.”

Kinta went undrafted in the 1996 NFL draft out of Central Washington College, where he led the Wildcats to an NAIA Football National Championship in 1995.

He made his professional debut with the Barcelona Dragons of the NFL Europe league. In his first season and only season with the Dragons he led the team to a World Bowl Championship with a 38-24 win over the Rhein Fire in World Bowl V.

He then played with the Seattle Seahawks from 1996 to 2000, the Cincinnati Bengals from 2001-2005, the Detroit Lions from 2006-2008, before playing for the Dallas Cowboys from 2009-2011.
As a professional quarterback in the NFL, he has a 169-165 touchdown to interception ratio, with 29,745 yards and 77.4 QB rating in his National Football League Career.

The WHS head coaching position became open in December when coach David Ream announced his retirement after 15 years with WISD. During his tenure, Ream led the Indians to a 102-66 record, winning seven district titles.

http://www.waxahachietx.com/news/waxahachie/sources-nfl-s-jon-kitna-named-as-whs-head-coach/article_ce12da86-950f-5d1a-85bf-372e3c257a3f.html

Courtesy WISD

Waxahachie High School

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Report: Former Cowboys QB Jon Kitna to be hired as Waxahachie’s head football coach


Corbett Smith Email corbettsmith@dallasnews.com

Published: January 21, 2015 12:40 pm

5Comment

Former Cowboys quarterback Jon Kitna (Staff Photo)
Here’s an interesting bit of scuttlebutt regarding the open Waxahachie football coaching job: Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune’s Todd Milles is reporting that former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna has resigned as the head coach at his alma mater, Tacoma Lincoln, to head to Texas for the Waxahachie job.

Unnamed source confirms the job Jon Kitna is taking is head football coach at Waxahachie High School (5A), half-hour south of Dallas.
— Todd Milles (@ManyHatsMilles) January 21, 2015

 

Jon Kitna is also taking a number of hand-picked assistant football coaches with him to Waxahachie HS, according to source.
— Todd Milles (@ManyHatsMilles) January 21, 2015

 
Kitna, 42, wrapped up his 16-year NFL career with four seasons as the back-up in Dallas, getting nine starts in 2010 when Tony Romo went down with a season-ending broken collarbone. Kitna’s high school program made national news this season, when Lincoln blew out Mount Tahoma, 91-0, in October. Kitna’s son Jordan, a senior-to-be, went 12 of 18 passing for 197 yards and seven passing scores in the win.

Waxahachie ISD will have a board meeting on Thursday night, with one of the items on the agenda: “Consideration and possible action to name a head football coach for Waxahachie High School.” The job came open after long-time coach David Ream retired in December after 15 seasons as the school’s coach and athletic director. Ream went 102-66 at Waxahachie, winning seven district titles during that span.

In addition to the Tacoma News Tribune report, KING-5 TV reported Kitna will be the next head coach at Waxahachie.

The News Tribune reports Kitna’s son, a senior-to-be who led the state in touchdown passes with 55, will be heading to Waxahachie as well.
The Associated Press contributed to this report


http://highschoolsportsblog.dallasnews.com/2015/01/report-former-cowboys-qb-jon-kitna-to-be-hired-as-waxahachies-head-coach.html/