Koonz named Bulldogs Head Coach
By Steve Diffey
Sports Information Director
The potential to build a successful program and the familiarity of Holmes Community College made the head coaching position at Holmes very attractive to former Holmes assistant coach Jeff Koonz.
Koonz was the selection committee's unanimous choice to replace Danny Robertson, who resigned as head coach in October. Koonz finished his last day as Special Teams Coordinator/Director of Strength and Conditioning/Defensive Line Coach at Georgia Military College on Thursday, Dec. 16, and began recruiting for Holmes on Friday.
"I've been preparing to become a college head coach for the last 20 years," Koonz said. "I've been waiting for the right job to come along. I would like to thank Dr. Boyce and the selection committee for giving me this opportunity."
"I know the area, and we had good success at Holmes before," he said. There is no question we can win at Holmes Community College."
"We have the potential to build something special here," Koonz said. I see it as a challenge to get it back to a consistent winning program. You win with great players. We have to create an atmosphere to make the players want to come to Holmes. Player development both on and off the field will be our top priority."
"We had some great experiences at Holmes. We are looking forward to reuniting with some good friends."
"We are very excited about Coach Koonz's return to Holmes," Holmes President Dr. Glenn F. Boyce said. "I am appreciative of the selection committee's work as there was tremendous interest in the position.
"We were looking for a coach who is a strong recruiter, has experience coaching community college football and understands the challenges of competing successfully in this league," he said. "We also wanted someone familiar with our institution and the nine county district we serve. Coach Koonz fit the bill in every aspect. He came forward with a detailed plan for building a winning program. He is passionate about his profession and holds himself highly accountable for performance. These qualities are a perfect fit for our institution."
Holmes Athletic Director Hugh Shurden echoed Dr. Boyce on Koonz's selection.
"I am excited to have been a part of the selection process," Shurden said. "All the candidates we interviewed were well prepared. Coach Koonz was a unanimous choice by our committee.
"Jeff is a great football coach and a tireless recruiter. He brings high energy and a strong determination to see his athletes excel in the classroom as well as on the field. We are fortunate to have Jeff and his wife Patti to rejoin us at Holmes Community College."
Prior to coming back to Holmes and before serving a year at GMC, Koonz coached defensive line at Georgia Southern University for three seasons and served as Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach at Presbyterian College. He served under two head coaches at Holmes before that, Shurden (five seasons) and Robert Pool (one season).
During his tenure at Holmes, the program compiled a 35-25-1 overall record and won the 1996 North State Championship. At Holmes, he coached many players who made it to the NFL including Alvin McKinley – Denver Broncos, Butkus Award winner Corey Moore – Buffalo Bills, and Javor Mills – Jacksonville Jaguars.
With the Mississippi community college system using a protected list, Koonz and the Bulldog coaching staff will have to protect the best players in Holmes' district to keep other schools from recruiting them and then join in recruiting players from other districts.
Koonz has no problem with the protected list. "This is definitely unique to Mississippi," Koonz said. "But it's not unique to college football. Everybody is out there recruiting the best players. I think it's a good thing because we get to protect the best players in our district and then be involved in the recruiting wars with other schools."
Prior to getting into college football coaching, he played football at SUNY-Plattsburgh and returned to his high school alma mater, Wallkill H.S., to become head coach from 1987-91. During that time, Wallkill compiled a 33-13-1 overall mark and won the 1991 Section 9 Class B championship while being named Coach of the Year on two occasions (1987 and 1991).
Koonz earned a B.S. degree from SUNY-New Paltz and a M.S. degree from Georgia Southern University. His wife, Patti is also from Wallkill, N.Y. They are the parents of one son, Jeffrey, 28, who is also a college football coach. After graduating from Central Holmes Academy in 2000, Jeffrey earned his B.S. from Auburn University in 2004 and M.S. degree from the University of Texas. He is the Linebacker Coach at Louisiana Tech University.