Following a two-month search, the Niles School District has found a new leader for its high school football program.

On Tuesday, the Niles Board of Education narrowly approved the hiring of Tom Sporich as the coach of the Red Dragons. Sporich was voted in by a 3-2 margin. Board members Mary Ann McMahon, Sarah Conroy and Michele Lamb voted in favor of Sporich, while Kimberly Barrell and Christopher Parise voted against the hire.

Sporich was recommended for the position by Niles Superintendent Ann Marie Thigpen after a search committee consisting of Thigpen, McMahon, Niles McKinley High Principal Stephen Rovnak and Athletic Director Chuck Schiffhauer chose Sporich from a field of applicants.

“I want to give thanks to the search committee who had the faith to offer the job to a candidate who is a little older than your usual candidate,” Sporich said. “I also want to give thanks to the board members who approved me.

“I know I’m going into a firestorm. I understand there are the doubters. I understand some people in the community and some board members might have wanted to go in a different direction. I understand and respect that. All I ask is a chance to prove myself. All I ask is a chance to restore this program to its past glory, because that’s my goal and I’ll do everything possible to make it happen. I believe in Niles. I truly believe in the Niles football program.”

Sporich, who turned 69 years old in December, is a 1975 graduate of Warren G. Harding High School. He was a member of the Panthers’ 1974 state title team. He earned degrees at Bowling Green (Accounting), Akron (Secondary Education) and Tiffin (MBA, Sports Administration).

Sporich previously served as a head coach at Newbury (1999-2000) and Brooklyn (2004-06). At Newbury, he posted a 5-15 record. Brooklyn’s official three-year record during Sporich’s stint was 2-28. However, in 2005, Brooklyn won four games, but was forced to vacate those wins due to an administrative player eligibility issue.

“I understand that the records don’t reflect it, but I truly believe that I left both programs better than they were when I arrived,” Sporich said. “I was hired very late in the process at both schools. Neither of those schools have much of a football history, but we did our best and I feel like we put both programs on the right path.

“It’s a godsend to get hired at Niles in January. I’m coming out of the gate running and I’m going to pour my energy into this program right from the start.”

Sporich has since served as an assistant at a number of schools, including Twinsburg, Normandy and Parma Holy Name. He most recently spent three years (2022-2024) as an assistant at Crestwood.

Sporich expects to meet with the team this week and vows to be a constant presence in the school.

“I’ll be visible and I’ll be accessible,” Sporich said. “You’ll see me at basketball games, at track meets, in the lunch room and walking the halls. I’ll be at the middle school because that’s our future, and I want to build from the ground up. I want a close connection with the Little Red Dragons program because I want those kids to know that we want them to be future Niles McKinley football players.

“We’re not just playing for next year. We’re going to develop a solid three-to-five-year plan, and to do that successfully, we need to increase numbers. We need to find those athletes in our school who currently aren’t on the roster. We need to get our current players to bring in one or two of their buddies and be a part of what we plan to do.”

Sporich has already begun the process of assembling a staff of assistants, including commitments from Brian Tydings, Donovan Tydings and Steve Jones.

Brian Tydings was the head coach at Mathews in 1998. He and Jones were teammates at Youngstown State University under Jim Tressel. Donovan Tydings is a 2025 graduate of Springfield Local High School.

“I’m looking for a mix of old-school guys who have been through it all and younger guys who will bring a fresh look to the program,” Sporich said.

Sporich says that beyond wins and losses, he will strive to focus on “fundamentals, a family atmosphere and a love for the game.” He vows to become deeply involved in the lives of the players outside of football, noting that “now more than ever, these young men need strong male role models.”

“I want this team to make everyone in Niles proud, I want this team to be the pride of Niles because that’s how I remember the program from when I was growing up,” Sporich said.

Sporich replaces Jim Parry, who stepped down in November following an eight-year stint with the Red Dragons.