MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- Middletown High School has selected a head football coach from inside the Greater Miami Conference.
The school announced Wednesday that Princeton defensive coordinator Don Simpson is the Middies’ new coach, pending school-board approval Dec. 18.
“He has been a part of many other successful programs and will have an immediate impact working with our student-athletes to help them achieve their goals. I am confident his leadership will help bring on a resurgence to the Middletown football program," the announcement said.
Simpson replaces Lance Engleka, who resigned after two seasons and a 1-19 mark. Engleka said he received online death threats before he resigned. Engleka also wrote in his resignation letter than parents had "unrealistic expectations" for their sons' abilities and future prospects, the Journal-News reported.
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Simpson, 43, is a 1992 Warren G. Harding High School graduate who grew up in Warren and went on to play defensive back for Rick Minter at the University of Cincinnati. He earned a criminal justice degree at UC in 1997.
His coaching career includes four years at Norwood (2006-09), six years at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (2010-15), one year at Deer Park (2016) and one year at Princeton (2017). The Middletown job is his first head coaching position.
“I am very excited about becoming part of the Middie family," Simpson said in a news release. "To have the opportunity to help students reach their full potential on and off the field is a responsibility I take very seriously. I’m looking forward to joining the Middletown team and getting to work.”
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