Cronin elects to stay at Newman in surprising turn of events
The search for a head football coach is back on at Windsor High School this week following a stirring turn of events.
Veteran Cardinal Newman coach Paul Cronin, who was announced to succeed former WHS coach Tom Kirkpatrick, has elected to stay on as the Cardinals’ head football coach and Physical Education teacher.
Cronin was slated to assume his new position at Windsor both as head football coach and Health and Physical Education teacher on Feb. 14 but had a change of heart last weekend, citing family considerations and his close ties to the Cardinal Newman community as chief reasons for the reversal.
The announcement of Cronin’s hiring on Feb. 2 followed two weeks of speculation as to who would succeed Kirkpatrick, who stepped down last month when he learned the school was looking to replace him with an on-campus coach.
“Paul Cronin was coming to WHS and was going to become PE and Health teacher, because as our previous coach said, ‘the best coach is on campus teaching,’” WHS Principal Marc Elin said in a press release on Feb. 7. “He had applied and we’d interviewed him and he was going to start on Feb.14. Today, we learned he is going to remain at Cardinal Newman.”
The 43 year-old Cronin has led the Cardinals to seven North Bay League titles, five North Coast Section championships and a pair of trips to the CIF State Bowl game in 14 seasons. He also served as head coach at Piner High School in Santa Rosa before moving over to Cardinal Newman.
Although the news sent a shockwave through the North Bay on Tuesday, it was received with understanding from the Windsor High School administration.
“Paul has a long career there and he is a valuable person no matter where he is, so I respect his decision,” Elin said. “We are still seeking a quality teacher and a well-regarded coach, preferably one with national ranking. Paul was at the top of our list, but we do have a short list, and we will continue prospecting,” he added.
