SIKESTON -- Kent Gibbs, the head coach of Fredericktown the last 13 years, has been hired as Sikeston High School's new head football coach during the Sikeston R-6 Board of Education's regular meeting Tuesday afternoon. An official announcement of Gibbs' hiring was scheduled for today.
"I'm really looking forward to it," said Gibbs. "I think it's a unique opportunity. I know things haven't gone well for the last couple years, but with the history, the tradition, the facilities, the support and a good coaching staff, I'm really looking forward to tackling that and seeing what we can do to get things headed in the right direction."
Gibbs, a Jackson native, is certified in administration, industrial arts and physical education and has over 20 years of experience in coaching football. He also served as the principal at Fredericktown in addition to his coaching duties.
Gibbs led the Blackcats to a 7-3 record last season. The highlight of Gibbs' coaching career came in 1984 when he led the Hayti Indians to the Class 2A state championship game before falling 8-7 to Knob Noster.
Gibbs spent six years at Hayti -- four as the head coach -- and one year at East Prairie before moving on to Fredericktown. Gibbs also spent two years as a graduate assistant for Southeast Missouri State University before taking the job at Hayti.
He said the Bulldogs' winning tradition -- Sikeston has more all-time wins than any other program in Southeast Missouri -- is part of what lured him to Sikeston.
"They've got a history of being competitive and the facilities are second to none," said Gibbs. "They play in a good conference and play a good schedule. It's a chance to compete against the bigger schools in the area. I've been coaching a Class 3 football team, I kind of look at it as taking a step up to Class 4."
Gibbs takes over for Jerry Dement, who resigned in late November after three years as head coach. The Bulldogs went 2-8 last season and haven't had a winning record since 2002. The Bulldogs haven't reached the playoffs since 1995.
School board member Greg Colwick commended the interview committee comprised of Brent Keefer, Tom Williams, Larry Bohannon, Norma Jackson, Pete Burns and Rob Mitchell.
"The interview committee spent a lot of time and a lot of effort in hiring the new football coach," Colwick said. "The board wants to thank them for the time they put in because this is a very exhausting task. They spent countless hours in researching and going out and making a recommendation to the board."