Ignatius coach was perfect choice to lead Team USA football
By Todd Porter
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted Jun 07, 2009
Any time a conversation with Chuck Kyle lasts longer than a cup of coffee, you?re going to walk away from it intrigued by what makes one of the most successful high school football coaches in Ohio history tick.
I caught up with the Cleveland St. Ignatius head coach the other day. It wasn?t the first time I?ve talked with Kyle at length for a story, but it reminded me just how fascinating he is. Kyle isn?t your typical muscle-bound football coach.
You may be surprised to learn that he was a running back for the Wildcats in the 1960s and then he went to John Carroll University ? not a surprise ? and played running back there until a shoulder injury cut his career short.
Kyle joined the Ignatius coaching staff in 1972, his junior year in college. When he graduated the next year, he became a teacher at the high school, and he?s been there ever since. He did admit to fielding offers over the years, but St. Ignatius is as much a part of Kyle as he is of it.
?I feel very comfortable there,? he said.
This summer, Kyle is taking on a new challenge ? coaching Team USA at the Junior World Championships, set for June 27 to July 5 at Fawcett Stadium.
The difference between the Junior World Championships and other national all-star games such as the U.S. Army game played in January?
?A lot of those other games? players are showcasing themselves for colleges,? Kyle said. ?It?s about them. These games, they?ve already committed to a college. These games are about something bigger than them, and it?s an opportunity to represent their country.?
Don?t discount that fact. Kyle was drawn to coaching Team USA because there was something that intrigued him about the opportunity to win a gold medal. He is 58 years old. This probably won?t happen again for him.
And there is the historical aspect of the international tournament.
Scott Hallenbeck, the executive director of USA Football who has a pedigree working for the U.S. Olympic Committee, would like to get football on the Olympic calendar. He?s pegged 2020 as the soonest it would happen. Having a junior world championship is a big step toward making that happen.
?It is historical,? Kyle said.
FILM EXCHANGE
Team USA exchanged films with Canada, Mexico, Sweden, Japan and Germany. Films from the Japanese have not arrived yet, but Kyle anticipates getting them soon.
?The tough thing is Canada plays with 12 guys, so it?s a little difficult figuring out which guy isn?t going to be out there, but you get the basic idea,? Kyle said.
Canada, incidentally, is the No. 1 seed based on winning the Global Junior Championship in 2007. A tournament the U.S. did not take part in.
Team USA will run a version of Kyle?s offense and his 3-3-5 defense.
IMPRESSIVE STAFF
In addition to having some of the best football talent in the country on Team USA, Kyle has an all-star coaching staff.
Cincinnati St. Xavier?s head coach Steve Specht, who?s won two state titles there and is 55-9, is the defensive coordinator. Gary Swenson of West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley High School is the offensive coordinator. He?s won five state titles.
The rest of the staff includes Tom Bainter of Bothwell (Wash.); Marcus Boyles of Wayne County (Miss.); Ed Croson of Lake Balboa (Calif.) Birmingham; Jeremy Gold of Ann Arbor (Mich.) Pioneer; Frank Lenti of Chicago Mount Carmel; Chris Merritt of Miami Columbus; and Allen Wilson of Dallas Carter.
More information on all the coaches can be found at
USA Football: It's more than a game.
TEAM USA ARRIVAL
Team USA will arrive at Walsh University on June 13. It will be the first team at the Olympic village-style setup in North Canton. Incidentally, that?s a day before Flag Day.
Team Sweden is scheduled to arrive June 18. Other countries and arrival dates are New Zealand on June 23; Japan, Mexico and France on June 24; and Germany and Canada on June 25. The games begin June 27.
