The Mundelein football program last won a game in August of 2013. That cheerless fact doesn’t faze the Mustangs’ new coach.
“Over history, we haven’t had a ton of success,” Larry Calhoun said. “I don’t think we are that far away.”
On Tuesday night, the Mundelein High School District 120 Board of Education approved the hiring of Calhoun. He replaces George Kaider, who resigned in November. Calhoun, who will teach business education at Mundelein beginning with the 2015-16 school year, spent the last three seasons as the coach at Elk Grove. The Grenadiers finished 0-9 last season, same as Mundelein.
But the reason for optimism lies deeper in Calhoun’s coaching resume. In 2012 and 2013, Elk Grove qualified for the Class 7A playoffs. Before moving to Illinois to coach the Grenadiers, Calhoun was an assistant coach at three Texas high schools. He is offensive-minded, and said the Mustangs will play fast and score points.
“We will run a spread-based system, but option-based. We will have options to throw the ball on every running down,” Calhoun said. “We will run some no huddle and play with tempo. It will be a fast-paced offense.”
Calhoun has the respect of at least one former Mid-Suburban League East opponent.
“I think he’s a very good offensive coach. His teams always played hard and were always prepared,” said Buffalo Grove coach Mike DiMatteo. “To beat him, you will have to outplay him.”
Mundelein athletic director Perry Wilhelm, who spearheaded the search process that led to his recommending Calhoun to the school board, said all candidates interviewed had a firm grasp of Xs and Os. What sold Wilhelm on Calhoun was Calhoun’s vision for building a consistently competitive football program and advocacy for multi-sport participation.
“You can’t be a head football coach unless you put in the time and have a passion for it. It’s extremely labor-intensive. [Calhoun] knows exactly what he wants to do,” Wilhelm said. “Just as important, from talking to other people during the interview process, is his willingness to work with other coaches within a school that needs to share athletes.”
Wilhelm’s comments are revelatory in light of recent events.
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Mundelein recently announced a reduction in athletic fees. Beginning with the 2015-16 school year, students will pay $75 for participating in one sport. The yearly cap for multi-sport participation is $225. This is a drop from the current fee structure of $200 per sport with a $300 cap.
According to Wilhelm, the football program had 105 players through the freshman, sophomore and varsity levels in 2014. Football had the largest participation numbers, with volleyball and soccer — with each fielding close to 90 students — second.
“We didn’t reduce the fees in order to increase the numbers in football. We want to increase numbers across the board,” Wilhelm said.
In January, Mundelein disciplined five student-athletes on the football and wrestling teams after a police investigation over allegations of bullying. Calhoun said he was aware of the incident before accepting the job.
“I have some cursory knowledge about what went on. I think that’s more of an anomaly and not part of our culture,” he said.
Calhoun said he plans to instill a value structure grounded in cooperation and collaboration, one that embraces sacrifice and old-fashioned hard work.
“What I want our culture to be where serving others is one of the most important things they can do. If that becomes our mission, then bullying and hazing won’t be part of the equation,” he said. “But we can’t do it just by saying it. We have to talk about it on a regular basis, just like Xs and Os.”
Mundelein’s 2015 schedule will feature Class 8A state champion Stevenson and Class 7A semifinalist Libertyville along with perennial postseason teams like Lake Zurich and Lake Forest. That’s just fine with Calhoun, who said he invites the competition while acknowledging the challenge that lies ahead.
“Part of the attraction is I have a heart for the underdog. I think every kid in America can be coached,” Calhoun said. “Our conference is a meat grinder. Everyone is good. You can look at it as, ‘When we do make the playoffs, how much more prepared can we be?’ “
Jon Kerr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.