'A perfect fit': Moeller hires former Bengals assistant as newest athletic director
Moeller High School announced that former Cincinnati Bengals assistant coach Jonathan Hayes will take over as the Crusaders' newest athletic director, effective Jan. 29.
“Jonathan’s enthusiasm for Moeller and our student-athletes is a combination that makes him a perfect fit to be the athletic director at Moeller. His high expectations will help elevate the athletic office to be a best-in-class organization focusing on the student-athletes and the entire Moeller Family,” Moeller president Marshall Hyzdu said in a statement.
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Hayes has a winning pedigree as both an athlete and a coach. He played for the University of Iowa, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers. His NFL career culminated with an appearance in Super Bowl XXIX.
As a coach, he spent five years at Oklahoma University and was part of the Sooners' 2000 national championship team. Hayes' longest coaching tenure was as the Cincinnati Bengals' tight ends coach from 2003 to 2018. Most recently, he was the head coach and general manager for the XFL's St. Louis Battlehawks before becoming the offensive coordinator for the Arlington Renegades, who won the 2023 XFL championship.
“As an athlete, a Moeller parent, and someone with a deep dedication to my faith, I couldn’t think of a better way to dedicate my talents than to work with student-athletes and live out Moeller’s Mission. I look forward to working with the Moeller Family and continuing the winning tradition at Moeller,” Hayes.
Hayes' faith has also led him to charitable work in his community. He has worked with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the International Diabetic Center, Camp Shawnee and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He and his wife Kristi also founded Hayes Huddle, which is described on their social media pages as "Just a Mom & Dad game planning life, sometimes offensively, sometimes defensively, but always huddled TOGETHER".
Jonathan and Kristi's three sons are all tied to Moeller as well. Jonah is currently a junior, Jewett is a senior, and Jaxson graduated in 2018 before playing for the University of Texas and the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers. Their daughter Jillian is a 1,000-point scorer on the University of Cincinnati women's basketball team.
Hayes takes over for Frank Russo, who was in the position in an interim role. Russo will remain on staff as a senior associate athletic director.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Moeller hires ex-Bengals assistant Jonathan Hayes as athletic director
