Citing health concerns, St. Paul's Livengood ends legendary run

NORWALK — The end of an era. After 33 seasons that saw the St. Paul High School football program become a small-school power in Ohio, the architect of that success has stepped down. Citing health concerns, John Livengood informed his players of the decision just before school ended on Friday. He then read a written statement in a video that was released by the school. Livengood's teams were an impressive 310-87 (.781 winning percentage) over the course of his 33 seasons. That run included 22 Firelands Conference championships. In the state playoffs from 1995-2023, the Flyers were 47-24 with eight regional championships, four state runner-up trophies and one state championship. "Some recent health concerns made me kind of start looking at the big picture beyond football," Livengood said. "Life with my family, the ability to have moments with my children and grandchildren … I was faced with the reality that I have to take care of myself. "There are health issues and things like that, but I want to live a long life and I want to see my grandchildren grow up, and I know I have to take care of myself." Livengood said he has been dealing with some serious health problems over the past five years, and this summer he began debating how much longer he could continue to coach. He will remain in his position as athletic director and dean of students at St. Paul. "Especially after some tests in August, I started evaluating it and asking, 'can I manage this?' It's not a situation where I'm burnt out or tired," he said. "Obviously things are a little harder at my age after doing it this long. You get tired faster. It was a matter of figuring out if I could do this job effectively and manage my health at the same time — and balance that with a life outside of football." After the Flyers lost to Dalton in the third round of the Division VII playoffs on Nov.10, the veteran coach said he wanted to let the dust settle on the season and not react right away. But all signs kept pointing to Friday's decision. "After finishing the season, I started to realize some things, and my wife (Kristine) and I did a lot of talking throughout the season about this possibility," Livengood said. "But I had to get to the point where I was thinking clearly, and I have to do what's best for myself and my family health-wise. That's really what it came down to." In addition to making his own health a priority, Livengood said in his statement that caring for his mom, Jean Fisher, who has serious health issues as well, is also very important. As he stressed multiple times, the decision had little to do with his desire to coach on a daily basis. But Livengood also said a key building block of the success of the Flyers has been discipline. "I try to live my life and act with discipline," he said. "And when it comes to a decision like this, it takes some self-discipline to make it. You can't always follow your heart and be emotional. "Partly, I am following my heart. But my love for coaching has not wavered at all. I plan on being a support system to the next coach and doing everything I can to maintain what we have here. The program is strong." After St. Paul had just two winning seasons from 1977-90, Livengood was elevated to head coach in 1991 at the age of 25. "I've had great administrators who have always supported and had faith in me, but in particular, Denny Doughty hired me at age 25," he said. "I can remember walking on the field for the first time and thinking, 'What did I get myself into? I'm not ready for this.' "And knowing that I wasn't ready, it was very humbling to know and be part of it." St. Paul went 4-6 in 1991, with two losses by a single point. The Flyers haven't had a losing season since over the past 32 years. They were 5-5 in 1994 and 1998, and both seasons also included narrow defeats to just miss winning records. Beyond the consistency, Livengood took the most joy in watching a player transform during his four years in the program. "Like having some young offensive lineman that doesn't maybe have a lot of self-confidence, or maybe isn't that strong or fast and below average in junior high," he said. "You see them develop and work hard and turn themselves into the best player they can be. "The confidence that they gain, the self-assuredness to go out and do things that, if not for football, maybe they'd not be able to do. The most gratifying thing for me as a coach is seeing that evolution and to see them get accolades and the pride they develop in themselves." Though he got to be the figurehead of it all, Livengood said it was also humbling to know how many people care about the program, and worked to support it in one way or another. "To be a successful team sport, it's not just the leader of the program, it's the kids and what they're willing to do," he said. "I've been fortunate to have great groups of young men who have been willing to work hard and buy into the discipline and the little details that allowed us to be successful and overcome obstacles." Livengood, who will be inducted into the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in June 2024, said in many ways, the 2023 season encapsulated his tenure at St. Paul. The Flyers were 0-3 with five two-way starters out with injuries, the worst start to any of his 33 seasons. But by season's end, the Flyers were outright FC champions and trailed eventual state runner-up Dalton by five points late in the third quarter of the season-ending playoff loss. "I don't care that we are 0-3 and have a bunch of kids hurt," Livengood said. "We can still win the conference and go far in the playoffs. Don't give up and keep driving, and do the best job you possibly can. "That's our staff, our kids, and the culture we have here. A little bit of that 'prove you wrong' attitude goes a long way. I can't tell you how often we'd walk on the field and see the other team snickering at us because we're not very big. That helped keep the chip on your shoulder. It's easy to motivate kids and coaches when they see that. This last season was a synopsis of that mindset."