A large gathering of media, staff, and East football players were on hand Wednesday in the high school’s auxiliary gym to welcome Jon Kitna as the new Lakota East Head Football coach.  Kitna becomes the third coach to lead the East program since Lakota split into two high schools in the 1997-98 school year.  He will follow Rick Haynes who recently announced his departure after 13 seasons. 

“Absolutely thrilled to formally introduce Jon Kitna as the new head football coach at Lakota East High School,” commented East Principal Rob Burnside.

Kitna is a familiar face to many in Thunderhawk country.  His adopted cousins attended Lakota East from 2003 till 2006, playing football and basketball.  During that time Kitna played quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals (2001-2005) after 5 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks (1996-2000).

Kitna said he wants the experience to be fun for the team while wanting the Thunderhawks to be an elite squad in the state.

“I’m kid-oriented,” Kitna told WCPO.com “These young men have a four-year window to play high school football and to be in high school athletics. The only thing we ask of them is to give us everything they have all the time. That’s it.”

In 2003 Kitna was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year after throwing for over 3,500 yards and 26 touchdown passes (second in the AFC) in leading the Bengals to an 8–8 record, the team's first non-losing season since 1996. 

Jon accepted a secondary role with the team in 2004 following the Bengal's drafting of Carson Palmer, but still posted significant playing time.  During his last season with Cincinnati (2005), he will forever be remembered entering the Bengal’s AFC Wildcard game against eventual Super Bowl Champion Pittsburg when Palmer went down with a knee injury on the second play from scrimmage.

After additional stints with the Detroit Lions (2006-2008) and Dallas Cowboys (2009-2011), Kitna announced his retirement from the NFL. Kitna played 15 seasons in the NFL and threw for 29,745 yards, and 169 touchdowns, with a 60.3% completion rate.

He began a teaching and football coaching career at his high school alma mater, Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington from 2012-2014.

From 2015-2017 Kitna was the head coach at Waxahachie HS (Texas).  He rejoined the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 as their quarterback's coach to work with their top draft pick Dak Prescott.  From 2020 to the present, Kitna has been the head football coach and athletic coordinator at Burleson High in Burleson, Texas. 

Kitna has four children with his wife Jeni.  His son Jamison, a standout sophomore quarterback, will have the opportunity to play for his dad next season.  Kitna will also assume the Dean of Students position at East next fall.