March 28, 2024

Townies pick Jon Stringfellow as next Football Head Coach

54 year-old Stringfellow follows in Dad's Legacy of EP Sports

Posted

A new era of Townie football begins as the East Providence High School Athletic Department announced the hiring of Jon Stringfellow as head coach. In a March 24th press release EPHS Athletic Director Gregg Amore said that Stringfellow will succeed Jay Monteiro who retired two weeks ago as head coach. Jon Stringfellow is the son of legendary East Providence High School Football Coach and Athletic Director William Stringfellow and assumes his father’s mantle as head coach of the Townie football program six weeks after his dad’s passing.

“We are pleased to announce the hiring of Jon Stringfellow as the next head football coach at East Providence High School. Jon is a 1984 graduate of East Providence High School where he was a member of the Townie Football team. He is a 1989 graduate of the University of Rhode Island,” said Athletic Director Amore. Stringfellow was a long-time physical education teacher in East Providence before taking on his current role as a Dean of Students at EPHS.

“Jon was inducted into the Rhode Island Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2017 after what has already become a stellar coaching career that began as a varsity assistant coach at East Providence High School in 1991. He served in that role, taking on the titles of Defensive Coordinator in 1991 and Offensive Coordinator in 1996 and was an integral part of the coaching staff that led the Townies to two State Championships in 1997 and 1999,” added Amore. In 2002 Stringfellow became a varsity assistant coach at Bishop Hendricken High School and in 2007 was appointed as the Hawks head freshman football coach where his teams won a remarkable nine Division 1 Freshman State Championships. Stringfellow has been a featured speaker at football clinics throughout New England and is a well- respected member of the Rhode Island high school football coaches’ fraternity.

Amore thanked Monteiro for the “exemplary” job he did. “Thank you, Coach Monteiro, for your tireless dedication to the student athletes of East Providence. You are a class act. You are what you preached, family, hard work and character,” said Amore. Amore then welcomed Jon Stringfellow as the new head coach of the Townie Football program. “Jon’s work ethic, experience, temperament and pedigree all make him a perfect fit for this job. He is, like his dad, a family man and a man of great character. He will be an excellent teacher on the field and a superb role model for our student athletes. Jon has been and is an important part of our Townie family and we are thrilled to welcome him as our next head football coach” said Amore.

Stringfellow, a former Townie football player, said he is excited to run the program that he saw develop under his famous father’s tutelage. “My memories go back to that of when I was a 5 or 6-year-old laying under our dining room table watching my dad show football films on the wall to the players. I remember my mom feeding the players and coaches and all those years sitting in section 8 at Pierce Stadium watching Townie football,” said Stringfellow.

Stringfellow or “String” as he is known by many, will continue as Dean of Students at the high school. The 54-year-old said he is pleased to have the full support of high school principal Shani Wallace. “I discussed this with Principal Wallace and received her support in taking this job. She appreciates that I will be in a good position to oversee the players during as well as after the school day,” he said. Stringfellow also said that he has the full support of his wife and family. “We’re in this together. My main responsibility is Dean of Students. The after-school activities are just an extra plus as we help support our students,” the coach added.

For Townie fans it will bring back memories of those days when a Stringfellow roamed the EPHS football sidelines. East Providence has remained one of the most successful high school football programs in Rhode Island, something that Jon Stringfellow is very aware of. “We will compete and give the kids a good experience. I want them to win but I want them to have good memories, like the ones that have stayed with me through the years.”

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here

Share!
Truly local news delivered to every home in town