For the second time in three months, the Niles football program has a new leader.

On Tuesday evening, the Niles Board of Education unanimously approved the hiring of Chris Kosiorek as the Red Dragons’ varsity football coach.

Kosiorek takes the helm three weeks after Tom Sporich resigned from the position after Sporich acknowledged he made an inappropriate comment toward a female student. Sporich was hired in January after Niles’ previous coach, Jim Parry, stepped down following an eight-year run.

“My message to the students and to the citizens of Niles is that there’s no purpose in looking back,” Kosiorek said. “It’s mid-April. It’s time to look ahead. It’s time to move forward in a positive direction. These players have an opportunity to do something that will change the mindset of a lot of people who thought this was a hopeless situation.”

Kosiorek is a 1987 graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School. While at Mooney, Kosiorek was a First-Team All-Steel Valley linebacker and an honorable mention All-Northeast Ohio selection. He graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in education, and is a math teacher at Streetsboro High School. He resides in Auburn Township.

Kosiorek brings nearly 30 years of coaching experience to Niles. He began his coaching career in 1996 as an assistant at Cleveland Benedictine. That year, Benedictine won a state title. Two years later when Bengals head coach Al Hodakievic took the head job at Twinsburg, Kosiorek followed and spent nine years as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator.

The first of three head coaching stints started in 2007 when Kosiorek began a three-year run at Mechanicsburg, where he posted a 25-10 record. Kosiorek guided the Crestwood program for two years, going 7-13. That was followed by a seven-year stint at Gilmour Academy (2015-21). With the Lancers, Kosiorek went 39-31. Following a 1-9 season in 2015, Kosiorek’s teams at Gilmour went 38-22, including a 10-0 record in 2018, and four playoff appearances.

In 2023 Kosiorek returned to the Mahoning Valley as an assistant under Steve Arnold at Warren G. Harding. Last fall he served as a defensive backs coach at Kenston.

As a head coach, Kosiorek owns a career record of 71-54.

“I always knew I wanted to be a head coach as far back as high school,” Kosiorek said. “Playing for (Don) Bucci at Mooney, you immediately realized the positive impact that a coach can have on young men. Being around guys like the Stoops’ and the Pelini’s, football became bigger than life. It played a huge role in my life, and I always wanted to carry that tradition on to a new generation of athletes.

“Coming back to the Mahoning Valley means so much. I grew up being a part of the great Steel Valley rivalries. I always remember Coach Bucci talking about Niles and its rich history. Football is a huge part of the Mahoning Valley culture. I’m excited and honored to be leading a program that is filled with history, in a town that loves its football. I’m looking forward to Friday nights and a packed stadium.”

Kosiorek is undaunted about the fact that he will be making a 45-minute jaunt from Streetsboro to Niles on a daily basis. In fact, he says he looks forward to the extended trip.

“I actually love it, I’ve done this with most of the (coaching) jobs I’ve had,” Kosiorek said. “It gives me time to think, time to decompress from one job to the next. In the car, radio playing, windows down, it’s a great part of my day.”

Kosiorek began the process of assembling a staff as soon as he was made aware of his first interview with the selection committee last Wednesday. He noted that as of last Friday, “Things were fluent and the only coach completely locked in was myself.”

He has since received commitments from several coaches.

In fact, he attended Tuesday’s BOE meeting with five men who are expected to be part of his staff; Keith Fife, Gage Fife, Rich Palumbo, John Protopapa and Mike Belcick.

“My job first and foremost is to get these kids in the weight room and get them ready and excited for football,” Kosiorek said. “The staff is a work in progress. I’ve been in talks with a good handful of coaches. I have guys lined up, and now that my hiring is official, things will quickly fall into place.”

Kosiorek received a tour of the football facilities last Friday, noting that “a huge part of the appeal is the infrastructure, and when you combine that with a great administration and support staff, it creates a prime opportunity for success.”

He looks forward to meeting and sharing his vision with the students, parents and football fans of Niles.

“I’m anxious to meet with the student body,” Kosiorek said. “I want them to give us a chance, give us an opportunity as we come in here with a new voice, a new staff, new visions and a new burst of energy.

“I know all about the 1-19 record over the past two years. I know about the really tough schedule. There’s an appeal in taking something that appears to be broken and reshaping it into something special, something the whole town can be proud of. My message to the whole town is to join us and be part of that rebuilding process.”

Niles opens its 2026 season Aug. 20 at Howland.