John Jenkins
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Coach John Jenkins was the head coach for the Cardinals from 1986-2003 (17 seasons)
and compiled a career record of 143 wins, 41 losses, and 1 tie. Jenkins helped lead the Cardinals to 15 playoff appearances, three conference titles, and two appearances in the state championship game in 1988 and 1990.
Jenkins leaves behind Cardinal legacy
By Troy Hyde NDN Sports Writer 6/11/2010The all-time winningest coach in Newton football history is hanging it up — both in the classroom and on the field. And according to legendary Cardinals coach John Jenkins, it is time. “I am ready to get out and do other things,” said Jenkins, whose last official day in the school district was Thursday’s teacher work day. “I have been doing this a long time. There are just some things right now that I want to do.” And one of those things involves chasing around his three children — Jason, Jake and James — with his wife Jo. “There is a selfishness to it, but it is mostly family based,” Jenkins said. “I do want to chase the boys around. I want to watch them play and watch them coach.” All three of John Jenkins’ children went through the Newton football program. Jake and James followed their father to William Penn and both played football. James actually has two seasons left as a tight end, long snapper and punter for the Statesmen.
Coach Jenkins came to the community in 1980 and started at Central Junior High School. He coached middle school football his first year and then became the high school team’s sophomore coach before becoming a varsity assistant coach under another legendary coach Frank Gilson. Gilson’s unfortunate and tragic death in 1985 paved the way for Jenkins to take over as head coach, but that is now how he drew it up. “We didn’t expect that to happen,” Jenkins said. “That was not a good night. It was a horrible deal.” Unfortunate as it was for everyone involved, Jenkins led the Cardinals from 1986 to 2001 before eventually handing the program over to current head coach Ed Ergenbright in 2002 with more than 140 wins to his credit.
“The transition back to the assistant role was easy,” Jenkins said. “I had a lot of good coaches who thought the way I did. And they helped me out a lot.”When it all started, Jenkins didn’t really want to coach football. He came from Pomeroy as a basketball coach and had a chance to leave Newton more than once but stayed because he “liked it here.” He played defensive end at William Penn after graduating from Lee’s Summit near Kansas City. He went to three bowl games in four years and was a captain and all-American in his final season. “I never really thought I would play football in college or coach football in high school, but you never know how things are going to end up,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins is the winningest football coach in school history, but he also cared about how his players were off the field. That is why he started CFLA — Character: First, Last and Always. “Initially when I played, football was about being tough and physical,” Jenkins said. “But once you coach you see guys with potential make bad mistakes. Focusing on character keeps them out of trouble, they stay out for football and they stay eligible. “There is nothing more common than unfulfilled potential. Some kids just have lots of potential but then blow it. It drives me crazy to see arrogance or apathy. All it takes is a little bit of effort.”
After Jenkins turned the reins over to Ergenbright, he served as running backs coach and helped Tom Godfredsen with the offense. The program has faced some major adversity recently with the loss of enrollment and growth of schools in the CIML. Jenkins said it’s no one’s fault but very difficult to compete against. “The competition has been really tough,” Jenkins said. “We had some great kids who cared. Sometimes you just lose.” That is why the former head coach thinks dropping to Class 3A is a good thing — and overdue. “It’s the right thing, but it took too long to happen,” he said. “Our population is just not the same as it once was. Our kids need equitable competition. Going to 3A is a sensible way to do that. “It’s a good situation. A couple of teams are still really good, but it’s a more fair situation for us. That’s the bottom line.”
Without football Jenkins will concentrate on his children but also devote his free time to his hobbies — hunting, fishing, gardening and traveling. He also will work on his house and help out with Jason’s painting business, Jenkins Custom Painting. But will fans see him in the stands at Newton football games in the near future? “If and when I can come back for games, I’d much rather be in the box or on the field helping in some way,” said Jenkins, who was recently given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Iowa Chapter of the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame. “It’s going to be tough to come back though with the boys and running around with them.”