http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...6/-1/CINCI
Kelly persuades Colerain's fiery coach to join staff
BY JOHN ERARDI | JERARDI@ENQUIRER.COM
Kerry Coombs, one of the area's great high school football coaches, is the new defensive backs coach at the University of Cincinnati.
He is packing up his famous enthusiasm and moving it down Colerain Avenue to Clifton, where he is expected to help UC turn the corner in persuading high-impact prep players to stay home to play their college ball.
"It's only going to take one," said Coombs, who compiled a 161-34 record and a Division I state championship in 16 seasons at Colerain High School. "You need just one kid to say, 'I'm going to be different - I'm going to stay home and play football in front of my family and friends in this great city of Cincinnati.' If one guy does that, the other guys will follow."
The effervescent coach was already selling the program only hours after being announced Sunday night as the latest addition to the staff of new coach Brian Kelly.
Kelly must be a pretty good salesman himself.
"This (offer) came completely out of the blue," Coombs said.
"Brian called me Thursday, I went over Friday (to interview), he offered me the position (Saturday) and on (Sunday) I was able to look the (Colerain) players in the eye and tell them I was taking (the job)," Coombs added.
"It all happened so quickly, it was like, 'Holy cow, did that really happen?' "
The timing was right, he said, because his son Brayden, whom he coached at Colerain, is now playing football at Miami, his daughter is going to Ball State and his other son is not yet in high school. Coombs said that UC's football regime change, the school's recently completed Varsity Village and its presence in the Big East Conference - not to mention the excitement of a signature victory over then-No. 6 Rutgers and the upcoming bowl game - all worked on his head.
At UC, he will be reunited with three Colerain players. A fourth, running back Mister Simpson, is transfering from Michigan to play for UC.
"I really appreciate Brian Kelly giving me this opportunity to make a dream come true," Coombs said. "In 1979, I sat in on the UC banquet as a (captain) of the Colerain football team - all the captains in town were invited - and I remember thinking, 'Wouldn't it be great if I could play here?' I wasn't good enough, but now I'm being given the opportunity to coach there. You can't write a better story for me than this."
Coombs, who played his college ball for the University of Dayton, which won the 1980 Division III national championship while he was there, will start at UC today, he said. He said he feels privileged to be making his college coaching debut in a bowl game.
"I've had guys there (on the UC coaching staff) say, 'Do you know how lucky you are to be starting with this and skipping all the other stuff?' " said Coombs, laughing.
Colerain's football team returns to the weight room Dec. 26, Coombs said. He said the program is already in great hands given the coaching staff, players and school and community support.
Coombs defied years of parochial-school dominance by building a dynasty at a public school. His 2004 team crushed Canton McKinley 50-10 at McKinley's home field for the state title and is regarded as one of Ohio's greatest prep teams.
His 2006 team went 13-1 and reached the state semifinals.
"We feel very fortunate to have Kerry Coombs joining the (UC) football program," Kelly said in a statement released by UC.
