(Fairmont, MN) A long list of positive influences in his younger years helped guide Adair-Casey graduate John Kesselring to a career in coaching. He’s the latest guest on the “Why I Coach” series.
Kesselring says he got into coaching because of the people that impacted his life like Denny Tenure, Ron Peck, Scott Frohlich, Wade Anderson, and his uncle Larry Hunt. “I’ve played and been around some phenomenal people, just incredible people. That’s what got me into coaching and teaching. What I like most about it is I loved it as a kid, and I loved it as I got older. I loved coaching under some really great guys like Wade Anderson who taught me a lot and now I’m in that role. Everywhere I’ve been it’s been a blast and I love doing it.”
Kesselring started as a football assistant at Coon Rapids-Bayard where he rose to the head coaching positions during some very prosperous seasons. As his career has evolved, perhaps his outlook has too. “I don’t know that it’s necessarily about winning and losing for the kids anymore. They seem to rebound pretty quick from that stuff. You better have a pretty good relationship with them if you’re going to coach them hard and ask a lot of them. Instilling a work ethic and developing that next level relationship is so important for kids these days.”
Eventually he moved on to Fairmont, MN where he’s on the football and is the head strength and conditioning coach. It’s an area very close to his wife’s hometown. “It was hard to leave Coon Rapids. Talk about a great town and community and school system. It was easy to be successful there. That was built on blue collar work ethic. Chris Mohr is doing a tremendous job now, just phenomenal. They are winning a ton of games and he has them ready to make a another deep run in the playoffs just like he did last year. It was hard to leave and tough to get out of Western Iowa, but family trumps everything and that’s why we are here.”
Previous Coaches
Eric Maassen, (AHST grad) Sheldon
Jerome Hoegh, Atlantic grad (West Sioux)
Gaylord Schelling, Atlantic and Tri-Center
Chad Klein, Audubon Native (Kuemper Catholic and Boone)
Trevor Gipple, (Griswold grad) SW Valley
Eric Stein (Harlan grad) Iowa Central
Darrell Burmeister, Nodaway Valley
Lanny Kliefoth, Nodaway Valley
