Illinois high school abruptly fires head coach despite unbeaten start - USA Today
This story was updated to add new quotes and information.
Providence Catholic (IL) high school football is off to a 4-0 start to the year but in an unusual turn of events, the school announced that head coach Tyler Plantz had been dismissed, as first reported by The Chicago Sun-Times.
Plantz was in his sixth season with the program and had led them to a 35-19 record during that time. Last year, he led them to the IHSA Class 5A state championship game.
The Celtics opened this season with a 28-21 win over St. Rita (IL) but had been dominant since, winning their next three games by an average of 22 points. On Friday night, Sept. 11, they beat Carmel (IL) 31-7.
Plantz graduated from Providence in 2010 and went on to Notre Dame where he graduated from in 2014. A career walk-on in South Bend, he started his career as a running back before finding success on special teams and earning a scholarship his senior season.
Before taking over at his former high school, Plantz served as an assistant coach on Brian Kelly's staff at Notre Dame.
In a school-issued statement sent to USA TODAY Sports, the school thanked Plantz for his time with the program but announced that it was "announcing a transition in the leadership of its football program as we move in a new direction."
On Monday, the Athletic's Matt Fortuna posted a statement from Plantz, who says he was asked to resign but refused and has not received a formal notice of his firing from Providence Catholic.
Plantz's statement says he received a message from Father John Mekelis, President of Providence Catholic, on Friday, asking that they meet on Saturday. During the meeting, which Plantz says lasted less than an hour, he was asked to resign.
"Father Merkelis informed me that other staff members had told him about a few disgruntled colleagues and a few football player's parents," Plantz wrote. "He cited problems with disorganization related to scheduling games for lower-level teams, which was not my responsibility. He also said he was not satisfied with how I managed college recruiting this year and structured lower-level practices.
..Father Merkelis clearly stated these factors were his only concern and then offered me the option to resign. I responded to these claims during our meeting. He explained that in consultation with other staff members, he had decided to move in a new direction for the football team."
The day after that meeting, Plantz states that he met again with Merkelis and informed him he would not be resigning. As of Monday afternoon, Plantz says he has not received word of a formal notice terminating his position despite the school announcing his firing on Sunday.
In the school's statement sent to USA TODAY, Providence announced that offensive coordinator Adam Nissen will replace Plantz as the program's interim head coach and will lead the team throughout the remainder of the season.
Prior to his arrival at Providence, Nissen most recently was a head coach at St. Laurence (IL). He was there for six seasons compiling a 37-30 record and leading the program to the Class 4A championship in 2023. That season he was also named the 2023 CCL/ESCC White Division Coach of the Year.
“Coach Nissen is an experienced leader who knows our student-athletes, our coaching staff and our program,” Providence Catholic Athletic Director Doug Ternik said in the statement. “Our focus is on providing our players with stability and support as they continue through the season. We are confident in Coach Nissen’s ability to step into this role and lead our football program during this transition.”
The Nissen era with the Celtics will begin Friday night at Nazareth Academy (IL). Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
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