Paul James leaves Washington to lead Linn-Mar football program

CEDAR RAPIDS — Paul James said he was not looking for change.

But, change knocked on his proverbial door and James answered. Now, James will switch from one Metro football program to another.

James has accepted the head football coaching position at Linn-Mar, stepping down as the Cedar Rapids Washington head coach after 41 years in various roles at the school. James will take over for Bob Forsyth, who stepped down after the 2016 season.

James said Linn-Mar reached out to him.

'I looked at the history Linn-Mar's had, the size of the school and so on,' James said. 'On paper, it's got to be one of the better jobs around. There's some work that needs to be done.'

Linn-Mar announced the hiring Wednesday. The move is pending board approval.

'I've been on this for a month and a half, and I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of great coaches and great candidates,' Linn-Mar Athletics Director David Brown said. 'After meeting with all those people, the search committee and I felt that Paul stood out for what we need here at Linn-Mar.'

Isaiah Garman has been a member of Linn-Mar's varsity roster the last two seasons and led the Lions in tackles last season. Garman didn't know much about James, but knew his accomplishments. He was a little nervous about the change but felt better after the team met with James Wednesday afternoon.

'I'm excited for him to come in,' Garman said. 'He's been coaching Washington and Washington has obviously been a powerhouse in Cedar Rapids.'

James has coached the Warriors for 34 years, beginning as an assistant in 1976. He spent two stints as Washington's head football coach from 1995-2006 and 2013-2016, compiling a career record of 97-57. Washington was 10-2 for the second straight season, earning a trip to the state semifinals after a trip to the Class 4A championship game in 2014. James also led the Warriors to a runner-up finish in 2003.

James, 62, is taking over a program that was 3-6 last season.

'At this stage of my career, I'm looking at it's a new and different challenge than I've ever had before,' James said. 'I'm looking forward to it. You're starting from the ground up and trying to build a respectable and powerful program.'

The Lions have a recently built new stadium. The program is looking to rebound from two straight losing seasons. James said he will have to begin the job before he gets a complete assessment, but he sees the potential to transform the mind-set and expectations of the program.

James was a Washington assistant when Linn-Mar thrived under head coach Greg Purnell, who won state titles in 1985, 1989 and 1990.

'In the 80s with Coach Purnell, they were just entering in to 4A football and had a lot of success,' James said. 'I think there's certainly a reason to think things should be able to head back in that direction.'

He served as Washington's activities director from 2007-2015 before retiring from his administration role after the 2015-16 school year. He became a Hall of Fame girls' basketball coach during his 24 seasons leading the Warriors, guiding them to state titles in 1988 and 1995. They were state runners-up in 1985.

James said it was a difficult decision that he shared with Washington players Wednesday morning.

'When you've been somewhere as long as I have, your family is invested in that as well,' James said. 'For my wife and me, we discussed a lot of things. It's kind of a team deal. Our kids have all gone through here and live in this area. There's a lot of strong ties dating back to youth days and youth sports, and a strong belief in Washington.'

James was expected to be the Warriors head coach next season. He met with Washington interim AD Grant Schultz on Tuesday, informing him of the decision.

'He spent a lot of time here (at Washington),' Schultz said. 'It was definitely a surprise.'

The reaction was constant among the Warrior staff. Washington assistant Frank Scherrman talked with James Tuesday. He wasn't stunned when James said he wasn't going to coach Washington in 2017, but was when he found out James was making a rare move from leading one Metro school to another.

'If anything, when he said, 'I'm not going to be coaching here next year' I would have assumed he was going full-fledged into retirement,' Scherrman said. 'The second sentence was a shock.'

Washington defensive coordinator Maurice Blue said he didn't say much when he learned the news. James was a defensive coordinator when Blue was a standout linebacker for the Warriors in the early 1990s. He also gave Blue his first football coaching job and has been with the program since 1998, coaching for 19 years and 11 seasons as a coordinator.

'I wish him luck,' Blue said. 'I've got 22 years to get to where he is, right now. Maybe I'd do what he did when I've been around for (more than) 40 years.

'I hope when I'm 62 I have that kind of energy to take something on like that.'

Blue has worked with James his entire career. They built a close relationship with Blue being an honorary member of the James family. Blue said it would be strange for him to coach against the man he learned so much from and shared a coaches box with for so long.

'There's no doubt he is one of the biggest players in my development,' Blue said. 'He moved me around to (coach) every position of the front seven.

'I've been lucky to be around some good guys. There's not enough time to thank him for all he taught me.'

Cedar Rapids Kennedy Coach Brian White was an assistant to James at Washington and was a former Linn-Mar player in the 1980s. He said Linn-Mar gains an established coach, who can devote much of his time trying to improve the Lions program since he doesn't have teaching duties.

'It's a great deal for Linn-Mar, because they have a guy coming in there who has led teams to state championship games in the past, even recently,' White said. 'I've also said that if the right person got into Linn-Mar that it's a potential West Des Moines Valley situation.'

Washington will need to find a replacement for James. The Warriors have been one of the top programs in the Metro, earning two trips to the UNI-Dome in the last three seasons. The position should attract good candidates.

'Today is Day 1 of that process,' Schultz said Wednesday. 'I have to take some time to figure out the next step.'

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