Jon Hebb has stepped down as the head football coach at Springfield High School, a decision he announced on the morning of January 7. This emotional resignation comes after leading the Senators to consecutive playoff appearances.
In a heartfelt phone call, Hebb shared that the choice was deeply personal. “This is a totally personal decision,” he stated. “There was nothing from anywhere else. Ultimately, it just came down to this past football season: I was not present at home at all. I was there, but I wasn”t there. And … you know, we preach family over everything to our kids.” He emphasized the importance of modeling values for his players, saying, “If we”re gonna preach family over everything to our kids, then I have to model that. And sometimes the lesson that needs to be taught is when”s the time to walk away.”
During his four seasons at Springfield High, Hebb recorded a 17-21 record, with the last two seasons culminating in playoff appearances. Prior to his tenure at Springfield, he coached Rushville-Industry for three seasons from 2014 to 2016, achieving a 19-11 record and three postseason trips. Hebb joined the Springfield staff under Roy Gully III, who resigned after the 2021 season, leading to Hebb”s promotion to head coach.
Despite resigning from coaching, Hebb intends to continue teaching English at Springfield High. Reflecting on his most cherished memory from his coaching stint, he recalled a challenging week that culminated in an upset victory against Quincy Notre Dame. “The fact that we were able to knock off QND at their place after going through such a rough week — and when I say rough, I mean rough — the fact that we were able to pull together and do that, I thought that kind of showed, “OK what we”re doing here, it”s working.”
Hebb”s resignation marks him as the second coach within the Central State Eight Conference in Sangamon County to step down following the 2025 season. Last month, David Hay also resigned from his position at Chatham Glenwood after a decade with the Titans.
For further inquiries, contact Ryan Mahan at 788-1546 or via email at [email protected]. This article originally appeared in the State Journal-Register.
