Photo

Photo by: Robert K. Yosay

New Ursuline football coach Larry Kempe hugs school principal Patricia Fleming at Monday’s introductory press conference at Ursuline High School.

By Matthew Peaslee

mpeaslee@vindy.com

youngstown

Midway through his acceptance speech, Larry Kempe, the newly appointed head coach of the Ursuline High School football team, had to pause and collect his thoughts while fighting back tears.

Just a few minutes earlier as she introduced him to the press, boosters, family, friends and the underclassmen players, UHS Principal Patricia Fleming was choked up, too.

They were tears of joy that officially ushered in a new — and well-deserved — chapter of Fighting Irish football.

“Not very often do my young men see me like this,” an emotional Kempe said. “Once they get to 37 years of doing something, I know they’ll understand.”

Kempe, an assistant under former Ursuline coach Dan Reardon for eight years, spent stints as defensive coordinator at Leetonia, Niles, Girard and Mathews for nearly four decades.

In 2009, he retired from Niles City Schools after teaching for 33 years at both Leetonia and Niles.

While on the sidelines of the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Irish state championship teams, Kempe is seen as a fiery motivator — no matter the weather — as he has trademarked wearing the bare minimum of appropriate attire.

“I expected to see him in his traditional shorts and T-shirt today,” Fleming said. “But, he actually wore a suit so I feel very flattered.”

As was Kempe with his new title.

“Ursuline’s successes are many, and it is my goal to continue that success academically and athletically,” he said. “I will not let you down.”

His predecessor was on hand, along with a handful of recently graduated Irish players including Dan Baco, Mike Zappa and Kempe’s son, Paul.

“He has a great perspective on so many situations because he’s seen about everything over the course of his career,” Reardon said. “He’d give me insight and now he has a chance to make those decisions for a program and there’s no doubt that he’s the right man for the job.”

As far as bracing Kempe for the position, Reardon said there wasn’t much he could do in terms of offering advice. Rather, he’d get his bearings once the pressure starts to mount.

“There is so much prestige with this institution in becoming the head coach and there’s nothing that can really prepare you for it,” Reardon said. “It doesn’t matter how much experience you have or how many places you’ve been, once you get that title you’re going to find out that in some ways it’s great and in some ways it’s not as great as people make it out to be.”

Reardon said he’s ready to handle it, though, and Paul will be the first to admit it.

“We always wanted it to happen, but we never knew when it would happen,” said Paul, who is a first-year letterman at Walsh. “It’s finally here. Taking it in and seeing it happen is a dream come true for us all.”