TJ O’Neill, who built the Olathe West High football program from scratch into a state title contender, is stepping down as head coach.
The school announced Wednesday that O’Neill is stepping down as the head coach of the Owls to spend more time with his family, after six years on the job. He has two young children, and the time demands of coaching high school football had limited the time for his family, according to West athletics director Pat Butler.
“He’s done an unbelievable job for us,” Butler said. “We just had our best year ever – we were two games away from a state championship.”
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The Owls went 8-3, falling in the 6A state quarterfinals, 35-33, to Olathe Northwest.
O’Neill came to West when the school opened in 2017, having served as an assistant at perennial power Mill Valley High for seven years before that. He’s also a gym teacher, a position he will keep through the end of this school year, Butler said.
“I want to thank Jay Novacek and Pat Butler for their trust to build and lead this program,” O’Neill said in a press release issued by the school. “Thank you to our coaches for your endless hours of work and friendship. To our players, thank you for your dedication and desire to be great. Lastly, I would like to thank the Olathe West parents and community for their unbelievable support. Olathe West is a special place.”
Novacek, in the same press release, said “Many can lead a program but it takes a special person to build one from scratch.”
He also said he’s “happy TJ is choosing to spend more time with his family and wish him nothing but success on his next adventure.”
The school said the search for a successor will begin immediately. Butler said the timing of O’Neill’s decision allows West to hire a replacement to keep off-season programs moving forward.
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