Harlem dismisses football coach one year after reaching playoff quarterfinals for first time
Harlem has dismissed football coach Bob Moynihan, one year after he coached the Huskies to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in school history. His .735 career winning percentage is easily the highest in school history.
Moynihan declined to speak to the newspaper at this time, other than confirming that Harlem “did not retain me as a coach” but saying he remains at Harlem as a special ed math teacher.
In Moynihan’s last game as coach Friday, the Huskies’ 24-0 loss to Glenbard East was halted a minute early after a Harlem player charged through the line to tackle the Glenbard East quarterback as he was attempting to take a knee and run out the final minute of the clock. A fight broke out afterward. Moynihan would not say whether that was the reason he was let go.
More: Chicago Bears name Harlem's Bob Moynihan their state high school football coach of year
Moynihan was 36-13 in five years as Harlem’s coach, including winning only the Huskies’ second NIC-10 title when they went 6-0 during the COVID season. That year he was named the Chicago Bears high school coach of the year and James Cooper Jr. led the state in passing, with 305 yards a game, and became the NIC-10’s all-time leading passer.
Harlem finished 3-4 in the playoffs under Moynihan. All other Harlem football coaches are a combined 6-16 in the playoffs. The Huskies had lost in the first round of the playoffs eight years in a row before winning in the first round in 2021 and winning two games last year.
Some of Moynihan’s students have started a petition to keep “Coach Moe.”
Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com, @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Students start petition to save Harlem football coach after let go
