Pat Mahoney, who has served as a member of De Smet Jesuit’s faculty since 1994 and varsity football coach for 15 years, told his football players this morning that he is retiring as head football coach.

“De Smet Jesuit, as a school and as a football team, is experiencing rejuvenation with new leadership and new talent,” Mahoney said. “I thought this would be a good time to step back from a leadership role to more of a supportive role, still focusing on the Jesuit mission.”

Mahoney will remain on the faculty and a part of the athletics program at De Smet Jesuit, the extent of which is still to be determined.

Mahoney, 65, has been a football coach for 42 years. At De Smet Jesuit, he served as head coach of the varsity football team, coach of the freshman wrestling team, and a health and physical education teacher. During his tenure as the football coach, the team earned a state championship, three state semi-final finishes, and eight district championships. Four former players went on to become active in the National Football League, and dozens played football at the college level.

“I’ve never counted wins and losses,” Mahoney said. “It’s more important to me that we develop good citizens and ‘Men for Others’.  I’m most proud of the players who became the first in their families to go to college or those who have become leaders at work, in their communities or in their church.”

Athletic Director Kevin Roberts says Mahoney’s decision is an example of Mahoney’s character as a coach and educator.

“Pat is beloved by his students, his players, the faculty, parents and the high school football community,” Roberts said. “We asked him to stay on as coach, but he looked ahead at what he felt were the needs of the team and school over the next decade, and asked that we allow someone else to take the team through the next decade. ”