By Joe Scalzo

scalzo@vindy.com

After three years in Colorado, former Ursuline High football coach Dan Reardon briefly considered announcing his return to Northeast Ohio in a Sports Illustrated essay, ala LeBron James.

“But I didn’t see as much anticipation over this move,” he said, laughing. “But there definitely is something to all those things LeBron wrote last summer. When you leave, you don’t really leave.”

Reardon, a Canfield High graduate, will be the next football coach at Canton McKinley, pending board approval. Before heading west, he went 72-29 in eight seasons with the Irish, advancing to the Division V state title game from 2007-10 with wins in the final three.

Before coming to Ursuline, he spent six years as an assistant coach at Warren Harding under Thom McDaniels, who coached the 2014 season at McKinley.

Reardon was also a candidate for Massillon’s vacancy this winter. Reardon said he was drawn to those openings because of the schools’ tradition and resources.

“There’s not another high school in the world where the head coach can see the Pro Football Hall of Fame from his office,” he said, speaking by phone on Thursday. “They’ve maintained a level of excellence over the years. They’re in the top 10 nationally as far as the number of wins and they have a tradition of winning championships and putting a great product on the field.”

Reardon will be the fourth coach in the last five years at McKinley and he will have the added challenge of incorporating students from Canton Timken, which will merge with McKinley at the end of the school year. But Reardon said he’s not intimidated by the school’s reputation for being tough on coaches.

“I’m someone who’s confident in his coaching ability,” he said. “If you’re in a situation where they expect excellence, there’s pressure that comes with that. But there’s also benefits in the sense that you’re given the means to be successful, so the excuses are removed.

“You’re not going to lack a good weight room. You’re not going to lack a great stadium or the equipment or support you need. It comes down to the coach and the staff coming together to motivate kids. As a football coach, that’s all you want.”

Reardon went 6-4 last season at Wheat Ridge High after going 5-14 in two years at Poudre High. Wheat Ridge is about 20 minutes from Denver, while Poudre was an hour away in Fort Collins.

When asked to compare the interest surrounding Colorado high school football to Ohio, he laughed and said, “Not. Even. Close. You can use all caps and a period after that. There’s good football here. I think the product on the field is good and there are good coaches, but the community interest is virtually nonexistent in most schools.”

Reardon left Ohio three years ago because his wife got a job at Colorado State University, but in all that time, he never changed his 330 cell phone number.

Now, he doesn’t have to.

“I think my coaches in Colorado were sick of hearing about Ohio,” he said, laughing. “I’m a Northeast Ohio guy and there’s a certain draw that brings you back.

“I was in a very good place here [in Colorado]. It’s a great place to live. But it’s not the same as home.”