Ohio high school football coach resigns one week after accepting job

One of the newest coaching hires among Ohio high school football coaches is resigning just a week after taking over his new job.

On Sunday, the Louisville (Ohio) City Schools department announced Matt Furino was stepping down due to health reasons after being approved to take over the job on January 30.

The release stated:

“Louisville City Schools announces that Matt Furino, recently hired as Head Football Coach for the Louisville Leopards, has made the difficult decision to step down from the position due to a newly identified medical issue.

… Coach Furino shared that this decision was not made lightly and comes with deep sadness, as leading the Leopards football program was an opportunity he was truly excited to embark on. After thoughtful consideration, he and his family determined that prioritizing his health at this time is the right and necessary choice. Although Coach Furino had not yet officially begun on-field coaching duties, he had already been working behind the scenes in preparation for the upcoming season.”

The full statement can be found here.

Furino replaced Chris Kappas, who resigned Jan. 6 to become the defensive coordinator at the University of Mount Union. Kappas compiled an overall record of 11-20 in three seasons, but did lead the Leopards to a 6-5 record last fall and earned a spot in the state playoffs.

Furino has been a coach at the high school level for over 30 years, including 21 seasons as the head coach at Field across three different stints. In his most recent one (2020-2024), he led the program to its first-ever OHSAA playoff victory.

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