Antonio Hall named McKinley High School's head football coach, drops interim title

CANTON – Canton City school leaders say Antonio Hall aced his yearlong job interview.

The school board on Monday unanimously hired Hall as McKinley High School's head football coach for the 2022 season. This past season, Hall served as interim coach following the controversial dismissal in June of former head coach Marcus Wattley and six of his assistant coaches for their roles in disciplining a player. 

More on the dismissal of Marcus Wattley:Canton McKinley High football coaches ousted for punishing player who missed voluntary workout

Superintendent Jeff Talbert said Hall, who was a first-time head coach, rose to the challenge of taking over a team that was in emotional and organizational turmoil.

"This accomplishment was more than X’s and O’s," said Talbert, a former high school football coach. "It was about earning trust, building relationships and rebuilding morale. Coach Hall and the staff he built were able to accomplish that."

Hall, who also serves as McKinley's athletic director, said he is approaching the head coaching job as "a duty and a responsibility."

"It is my duty to restore and preserve our tradition and to instill the pride back in McKinley football," he said. "It is, more importantly, my responsibility to set a standard for our young people to carry on and become leaders in this community and prepare them to attack life when they leave our program."

McKinley finished the 2021 season with an 8-5 record, which included two playoff wins. The team also went 5-1 in the Federal League, finishing second.  

During the season, Hall instituted a yearlong personal development program for his team using, "The Mental Manual," a variation of Jim Tressel’s "Winners Manual." He also created individualized nutrition and training programs for each player based on their body type, position and strengths, according to the district. 

More about Hall's 2021 season:McKinley coach Antonio Hall quickly builds staff with experience, Bulldog bloodlines

Hall, a 2000 McKinley graduate who was a starter on McKinley's back-to-back state championship teams in 1997 and 1998, went on to play collegiately at the University of Kentucky and professionally in the Canadian Football League as an offensive lineman.

His coaching experience includes assistant coaching roles at McKinley, GlenOak and St. Thomas Aquinas high schools. 

Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.

On Twitter: @kweirREP