Jon Kitna: For the Love of the

JON KITNA:

From a math education major, to player in the NFL, to head football coach and boys athletic coordinator for Burleson High School in Texas, Jon Kitna has had a passion for the game of football ever since he started playing for the Central Wildcats.

Since retiring from the NFL in 2011, Kitna’s passion for coaching high school boys and leaving a legacy of character and leadership development is what keeps him going. Here’s why you should know this Cool Cat:

Q: How did your football career start?

A: Pretty unorthodox, for sure. Not the usual way. I finished up at Central, we finished up the national championship in December and football was pretty much done. I hadn’t heard anything from anybody. I tried to stay in shape, and I started doing my student teaching in January at Davis High School. In March, Dennis Ericson’s nephew, who played for us said, “Coach Harrison wants to work us a couple. Let’s go over there and workout.” So, I went over there and worked out with Coach Harrison. The workout went great, and a month later after the draft, they signed me as a free agent and Coach Harrison really took care of me my first three years in the league. Got my feet on the ground and it kind of took off from there.

Q: What’s your favorite childhood memory?

A: Probably being at the Eastside Boys and Girls Club, to be honest. I grew up a Boys and Girls Club kid, my parents were working 9-5, so that was where we went. We spent all summer there, playing every sport there is, learning how to compete. I had some really cool coaches there. Those are probably some of my favorite memories, especially early childhood before high school.

Q: What are some of your hobbies?

A: I love golf. I love Bible studies—reading the Bible. My family and I, we’re pretty big into boating and water sports. But one thing we took up at the end of my career was snowboarding. We love to go on snowboarding trips together with my kids.

Story by Autumn Reed | Design by Katie Jo Stewart

For the Love of Q: What are some of your personal goals? the Game

A: One thing that I would love to do is stay at a place for 15 or 20 years, and be here long enough to see some of the guys that I coach come back and coach for me. And really leave a legacy of character development and leadership development amongst my program. Of course, if we could win a state championship doing that, that would be awesome. But the main thing is really developing a young man into a man of character and leadership. Q: What are some of your career goals?

A: I like what I’m doing. I love what I’m doing. If I could retire at 72 years old, which is 24 years from now, and have a couple of state championships, and a whole bunch of kids that are now grown up and have kids, and I got to be a part of their life while they were forging their lives, that would be the career goal for me, to be honest.

Q: What are three fun facts about you?

A: I was on the Wheel of Fortune when I was playing for the NFL. I got to be on the Wheel of Fortune and we won the whole show. I literally hated football all the way through high school. The third one would be, I was invited to be on “Survivor,” the show, but I had to turn it down because I was coaching football.

Q: What is a quote that you live by?

A: “Never tire of doing what is right, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest.” That is Galatians 6:9.

Q: Where can we find you hanging out?

A: Probably on the couch with my family. We love sitting down together, eating together, watching shows together. We’ve watched “Survivor” for 20 years. We love the show “Blackish.” We love “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” Just being on the couch together, playing games, playing board games, playing card games. That’s what we love to do.