PHEONIX, Ariz. — When Jon Kitna left the pocket town of Waxahachie and its high school, not many thought it would mark a Texas exit.
It’s an exit that landed him in Phoenix, Arizona.
Per a Thursday press release from Brophy College Preparatory School the former three-year Indian coach has accepted the head football coaching position.
“I want to thank the leadership team at Brophy for the opportunity to join them in the mission of forming young men and leaders in my role as the head football coach,” he said in the release. “I look forward to working with the administration, faculty, fellow coaches and parents as we aim to build a football program that can be a model of consistency, character and competitiveness.”
According to Waxahachie ISD, Kitna submitted his resignation as head football coach and boys athletic coordinator Feb. 9 to pursue other opportunities.
Kitna led Waxahachie to 8-5 overall and 4-3 District 10-5A records in 2017. He also led it to the regional quarterfinal round of the University Interscholastic League Class 5A playoffs. It was the first time the program had made the playoffs since 2012.
Brophy College Prep was 1-9 this past season, but was 25-13 the three seasons before that. Kitna replaces Scooter Molander, who resigned in November 2017 after 13 years leading the varsity program.
Kitna is former 16-year NFL veteran and 2003 league and Pro Football Writers of America Comeback Player of the Year.
He played for Cincinnati from 2001 to 2005 as its starting quarterback and later mentored Carson Palmer. Between 2006 to 2008 he quarterbacked the Detroit Lions under the tutelage of Mike Martz.
Kitna also spent time as a Dallas Cowboy from 2009 to 2011.
Former Dallas Cowboy quarterback (3) Jon Kitna changes a play during a 2011 game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports
RELATED: Former NFL Quarterback Resigns as Waxahachie Head Coach after 3-Year Stint
According to USA TODAY Sports’ AzCentral, Kitna has close ties to former Phoenix Moon Valley High School and Northern Arizona quarterback Travis Brown. Brown is currently a pastor in the Valley and Arizona State University team chaplain. His work as the chaplain connected him to former Sun Devil Head Coach Todd Graham, a former Texas high school coach that recruited Texas consistently.
“After an extensive search process, I am excited to welcome Jon Kitna and his family to the Brophy College Preparatory community,” Principal Bob Ryan said Thursday. “Throughout this process, we have sought not only a qualified and dynamic football coach but someone who shares our vision for the overall formation of our students. Jon Kitna shares this vision. I look forward to the impact he will have as a faculty member and as our head coach, positively influencing the lives of his students and players.”
No details were known about Kitna’s contract length or amount were provided to TexasHSFootball at the time of publishing. His three-year contract with Waxahachie was valued at $95,000 per documents provided through an open records request by a reader of the Waxahachie Daily Light.
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