Published Tuesday February 1, 2005

St. Albert coach tackles Platteview project

BY KEVIN WHITE
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

The only coach to lead a Council Bluffs high school to a state football title is leaving.

Adam Kuhl has resigned the head football job at St. Albert to accept a similar position at Platteview High School in Springfield.

Kuhl (pronounced "Keel"), 30, led St. Albert to Iowa's Class 1-A state football title last fall, and compiled a sparkling 34-3 record in his three years at the helm, following four years there as an assistant. The Falcons lost the 1-A championship game in 2003 and were state quarterfinalists in 2002.

Kuhl said the move improves his family's financial situation, and also allows his wife and him to return to their home state. Kuhl is an Omaha Burke graduate, and his wife, Julie, went to Wynot High School in northeast Nebraska. They both graduated from Wayne State College. The Kuhls have a 1-year-old daughter, Allison, and are expecting their second child in June.

"It was a tough decision," Adam Kuhl said. "I've been around such great players and great coaches. But I've got to do what's best for my family and our future."

Platteview, a Class B school located northeast of Springfield, finished 2-7 last season and has been 4-41 over the past five seasons.

"It's going to take awhile to get things turned around," Kuhl said. "But I hear the younger classes are a little bigger and more athletic. I think it's a good opportunity to build something great."

Kuhl recently met with the St. Albert players to inform them of his decision. He said it's easy to pinpoint what he'll miss most.

"The relationships with the assistant coaches, the players and the parents," he said. "It's a great atmosphere at St. Albert."