By Kyle LoJacono
Staff Writer
NEW TAMPA — In his first year as the Freedom High School football coach, James Harrell guided the Patriots to the most wins in school history and to their second playoff appearance.
Unfortunately for Freedom (7-3) Harrell’s first season was also his last with the school. He was named the Jesuit High School football coach at a press conference on the Tiger’s campus Feb. 12.
“It feels great,” Harrell said on being named the Jesuit coach. “I’m very excited to take over at a school I’m familiar with.”
Harrell resigned from Freedom just hours before the press conference, but the rumor of him taking the Jesuit job had been circulating for a few weeks. He becomes the first African American football coach in Tigers’ history, but it is his second stint with the school. He was a defensive assistant and defensive coordinator at Jesuit from 1994 to 2004.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to coach at a school with as much tradition as Jesuit has,” Harrell said. “When you are afforded an opportunity like this you have to take a serious look at it. I couldn’t pass it up.”
The move to the Roman Catholic school also fits into his family’s faith.
“We all practice catholicism,” Harrell said. “Faith is something that is very important to me and my family.”
After his first 11-year stint with the Tigers, Harrell became the defensive coordinator for Plant High School. The Panthers won the 2006 and 2008 Class 4A state championships with Harrell. He then took the reins at Freedom, which was his first head coaching position in high school.
“It was great to have him for the one year,” said Freedom athletic director Elijah Thomas Jr. “He brought a lot of excitement to the program and did a great job.”
Thomas said Freedom is not close to naming a new coach.
One of the players who flourished under Harrell at Plant and Freedom is his son Anthony, who plays linebacker. At Plant in 2008 as a sophomore, the younger Harrell had 44 tackles and five sacks. Last season, Anthony led the Patriots with 125 tackles while adding seven sacks, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.
Earlier in the season, Anthony said of playing on his dad’s team, “It isn’t always easy because he can be tough on me on and off the field. The other guys can take a break after practice, but he’s always trying to get me to work. It’s tough, but it has made me a better player and I know his defense better than anyone.”
It is unlikely Anthony will follow his father to Jesuit as he did to Freedom because the catholic school does not allow students to transfer in after their sophomore year unless they are coming from another Jesuit school.
“I’m focusing on organizing and stabilizing my new team,” Harrell said of not coaching his son during his senior season. “Anthony will stay at Freedom now and in the end we’ll do what’s best for him. It’ll be something we address in the future.”
Harrell graduated from Chamberlain High School and the University of Florida, and played nine seasons in the National Football League as a linebacker from 1979 to 1987. He played for the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs.
His attacking defense turned Freedom into a team that allowed less than 12 points per game. One of the leaders on the Patriots defense was senior defensive back T.J. Mutcherson, who had one interception, five passes defensed and 34 tackles in 2009.
“Playing for coach Harrell made me a much better player,” Mutcherson said. “When he talks you know he knows what he’s talking about because he played in the NFL. He made us all better on defense.”
Mutcherson also caught 28 passes for a team-best 658 yards and four receiving touchdowns as a wide receiver in Harrell’s spread offense.
Harrell said his old team was upset about him leaving, but believes many of them understood why he made the move.
“I think Freedom is better than when I started and I’m proud of that, but I couldn’t say no to Jesuit,” Harrell said. “We did a lot of good things at Freedom. We had the most wins ever even though we had one game cancelled because of bad weather. They are very talented and whoever takes over will have a good team.”
