New Coach at Laurence

[DeanOfSelection]

Adam Nissen out as St. Laurence football coach​

A year after leading St. Laurence to its first state championship game in 44 years, Adam Nissen is out as St. Laurence football coach.
The school announced in a statement Friday that Nissen’s coaching contract will not be renewed, ending his six-year tenure.
“I’m still in complete shock,” Vikings senior running back Harley Rizzs said. “There’s still a lot of confusion going on. We don’t really know why (this happened).”
“We thank Coach Nissen for his commitment and contributions to the Viking Football program,” athletic director Tim Chandler said in the statement. “As our program prepares to compete at a higher classification next season, we will begin the search for new leadership to build upon our strong football tradition and continue developing outstanding student-athletes at St. Laurence.”
Nissen led the Vikings to the Class 4A title game in 2023, losing 59-38 to unbeaten Rochester. It was St. Laurence’s first state-final berth since finishing second in Class 5A in 1979. The Vikings’ only other trip to state was in 1976, when they went 13-0 and won the Class 5A title.
The Vikings finished 8-4 this season, losing 26-14 in the Class 4A quarterfinals to eventual champ DePaul Prep.
St. Laurence navigated around significant injuries to two of its top players, Illinois State-bound quarterback Chase Kwaitkowski and Rizzs.
“As a team, we feel it all got thrown away,” Rizzs said. “We put a lot of work in for it to all go down from here. … I felt I had a good relationship with him. He was like family to me.”
Nissen was 35-28 with three IHSA playoff berths in his six seasons. His .556 winning percentage is the best for a Vikings football coach since Bob Fabrizio was 19-13 (.594) from 1986 to ’88.
Rizzs praised the culture Nissen developed at St. Laurence.
“It was probably one of the best brotherhoods you could have in a program,” Rizzs said.
It’s the second time in less than a decade that St. Laurence has parted ways with a coach who had significant playoff success. Current De La Salle coach Harold Blackmon took the Vikings to two semifinals and one quarterfinal between 2015 and ’17 before being let go after the 2018 season.

 

[sporthog9er]

First Blackmon and now Nissen...both "blindsided"

 

[ssczar76]

More to the story here... supposedly his relationship with the principal was sour. Does that mean uncle Frank is out also?

 

[Dave Brody]

Does Buz end up here?

 

[PowerI66]

First Blackmon and now Nissen...both "blindsided"

Sounds like a school for a coaching candidate to avoid

 

[IgorStL]

Sounds like a school for a coaching candidate to avoid

Nobody was "blindsided" in 2018. Don't believe everything you read.

 

[McCaravan]

More to the story here... supposedly his relationship with the principal was sour. Does that mean uncle Frank is out also?

Blackmon pinned his firing on Coach Frank. Coach Frank was there before Nissen, he didn't bring him in, probably the other way around.

Disabato: Harold Blackmon severs ties with Frank Lenti and St. Laurence, looks ahead to leading Oak Lawn

Harold Blackmon was relaxed and upbeat during our conversation. That wasn’t the case when we spoke on April 1. Blackmon, 40, had been fired as St. Laurence’s football coach. He said he …

www.chicagotribune.com

 

[IgorStL]

Blackmon pinned his firing on Coach Frank

Disabato: Harold Blackmon severs ties with Frank Lenti and St. Laurence, looks ahead to leading Oak Lawn

Harold Blackmon was relaxed and upbeat during our conversation. That wasn’t the case when we spoke on April 1. Blackmon, 40, had been fired as St. Laurence’s football coach. He said he …

www.chicagotribune.com

Frank had zero to do with it

 

[ssczar76]

Blackmon pinned his firing on Coach Frank

Disabato: Harold Blackmon severs ties with Frank Lenti and St. Laurence, looks ahead to leading Oak Lawn

Harold Blackmon was relaxed and upbeat during our conversation. That wasn’t the case when we spoke on April 1. Blackmon, 40, had been fired as St. Laurence’s football coach. He said he …

www.chicagotribune.com

Agreed but Niesen was his guy. Maybe the guy from Chicago Christian gets a call.

 

[MMA_Det]

Blackmon was NOT liked by anyone

The team experienced some incredible results under his leadership, but he had the alumni seething

What happens at DLS is going to be his defining moment as a coach… and we saw what took place this season

 

[McCaravan]

Agreed but Niesen was his guy. Maybe the guy from Chicago Christian gets a call.

I'm sure they will call him but I don't think this would be an offer he couldn't refuse. He won State at Chicago Christian, he has amazing job security, Laurence has fired two Coaches in 7 years that have made it the the quarters, semifinals and State Championship game.

 

[Topiary]

Look for Larry to do a Marist and hire a solid away from a rising public school (Fitzgerald Part 2)

 

[crazylegs777]

Adam Nissen out as St. Laurence football coach​

A year after leading St. Laurence to its first state championship game in 44 years, Adam Nissen is out as St. Laurence football coach.
The school announced in a statement Friday that Nissen’s coaching contract will not be renewed, ending his six-year tenure.
“I’m still in complete shock,” Vikings senior running back Harley Rizzs said. “There’s still a lot of confusion going on. We don’t really know why (this happened).”
“We thank Coach Nissen for his commitment and contributions to the Viking Football program,” athletic director Tim Chandler said in the statement. “As our program prepares to compete at a higher classification next season, we will begin the search for new leadership to build upon our strong football tradition and continue developing outstanding student-athletes at St. Laurence.”
Nissen led the Vikings to the Class 4A title game in 2023, losing 59-38 to unbeaten Rochester. It was St. Laurence’s first state-final berth since finishing second in Class 5A in 1979. The Vikings’ only other trip to state was in 1976, when they went 13-0 and won the Class 5A title.
The Vikings finished 8-4 this season, losing 26-14 in the Class 4A quarterfinals to eventual champ DePaul Prep.
St. Laurence navigated around significant injuries to two of its top players, Illinois State-bound quarterback Chase Kwaitkowski and Rizzs.
“As a team, we feel it all got thrown away,” Rizzs said. “We put a lot of work in for it to all go down from here. … I felt I had a good relationship with him. He was like family to me.”
Nissen was 35-28 with three IHSA playoff berths in his six seasons. His .556 winning percentage is the best for a Vikings football coach since Bob Fabrizio was 19-13 (.594) from 1986 to ’88.
Rizzs praised the culture Nissen developed at St. Laurence.
“It was probably one of the best brotherhoods you could have in a program,” Rizzs said.
It’s the second time in less than a decade that St. Laurence has parted ways with a coach who had significant playoff success. Current De La Salle coach Harold Blackmon took the Vikings to two semifinals and one quarterfinal between 2015 and ’17 before being let go after the 2018 season.

They had the talent to win it all & didn’t do squat in the playoffs so no loss. They beat the teams they should have & lost to teams they shouldn’t. Let a kid play in state title last year who should have been kicked off the team if the stories are true & I love the Vikings

 

[crazylegs777]

Blackmon was NOT liked by anyone

The team experienced some incredible results under his leadership, but he had the alumni seething

What happens at DLS is going to be his defining moment as a coach… and we saw what took place this season

He did GREAT at Oak Lawn 🤪😒