CLC football coach resigns post

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Jon McLaughlin thought the situation over and over.

How would McLaughlin be able to be Crystal Lake Central’s football coach the next three seasons and see his son, Cody, play that sport at Grayslake North? It was a question that he could not answer.

“I weighed the pros and cons,” McLaughlin said. “I asked myself questions like, ‘Three years from now, can I go back and see Cody play?’ No. And: ‘Three years from now, will I have an opportunity to coach again?’ Maybe.”

McLaughlin, who has spent many years molding other people’s children as athletes and people, decided he had to take a step back for his own child. The Tigers coach notified Central principal Steve Olson and athletic director Doug Blundy on Thursday that he was resigning as football coach.

McLaughlin told his varsity players the news at their banquet Sunday. He enjoyed a remarkable ride for six seasons, taking the Tigers to the playoffs three of the past four years and returning a cellar-dwelling team to respectability.

“I can’t say it’s been all me,” McLaughlin said. “I’ve had great coaches, the support of the administration,
and the parents have been supportive, too. It’s a combination of everything. I had a vision of where the program was going when I go here, and people trusted me and we were able to do that.”

McLaughlin took over a program that was 5-49 in the six previous seasons. The Tigers were 2-7 and 1-8 in his first two years, but have not had a losing season since. This year, Central won a playoff game for the first time in 31 years, 25-14, against Fenwick in the first round of the IHSA Class 6A playoffs. McLaughlin’s teams were 29-29.

“We were really bad, and now we’re not really bad,” Blundy said. “We’re grateful to Jon for getting the football program back to a very competitive position in the [Fox Valley Conference] and the state.”

Blundy said he sent the District 155 office notice to post the position as being open. He expects significant interest from within the district, which is where the successor might have to come from since there is uncertainty as to what teaching positions will be available. Blundy said teaching positions might not be known until March, and a new coach needs to be in place by then.

McLaughlin will remain at Central as a social studies teacher. Eventually, he might get back into coaching. His younger son, Alex, 12, plays soccer, which would not conflict as much with football in the fall months, should McLaughlin get back into coaching.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” McLaughlin said. “At the top of my list was that I was missing all my kid’s games.”

McLaughlin only saw parts of Cody’s freshman games this season. He would have seen less of them next year, when, as a sophomore, Cody would play on Friday nights like the varsity teams.

The tough part was giving up a program which he had resurrected. The Tigers are well-stocked again for years to come with a freshman team that was 8-0-1 and a sophomore group that was 6-3.

“Whoever becomes the next coach will have some good players,” McLaughlin said. “It’s not like nothing’s left in the cupboard. The selfish part of me would like to stay because we’re going to win a lot of games. The dad part of me keeps saying, ‘What about your kid?’ ”

Good for the dad part.

McLaughlin deserves a big “Congratulations!” for putting Central back on the football map. He deserves an even bigger one for what he’s doing for his family now.

• Joe Stevenson covers high school sports for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached at 815-526-4513. He also can be reached by fax at 815-459-5640 or by e-mail at jstevenson@nwherald.com.