Chicago City Wire

Todd Kuska, a 1990 alum and former head football coach at St. Rita High School, recently received the 2023 Coaches Award from the Central Officials Association.

 

St. Rita noted the award on its Twitter feed. 

“Congratulations to Coach Todd Kuska '90, who received the 2023 Coaches Award from the Central Officials Association! This award comes after an incredible 25 year football coaching career with our Mustangs!” St. Rita tweeted.

 

Kuska coached at St. Rita for 25 years before retiring from coaching in fall 2022. He took over as head coach at the school as a 24-year-old and led the program to an astounding 215-93 record and a state championship in 2006 as well as second-place finishes in 2019 and 2021. 

“It was always my dream job, and still is, but I didn’t think I’d be doing this that long,” Kuska told Shaw Local Network. “You always set to make a career out of it, but I think it’s gone pretty well.”

In 2023 he was selected as an assistant coach for the Army All-American Bowl coaching for the East Team which won the Jan. 7 competition 55-17.

Kuska was also inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame class of 2023 after his retirement as head coach from St. Rita. The honor was provided at a banquet held in Champaign on April 1.

Kuska played college football at St. Xavier University where he also began his coaching career. Over his two and half decades atop the St. Rita program, he saw more than 210 players on to the college ranks of the sport and has had 8 players go on to the NFL. He was elected to the Chicago Catholic League Hall of fame in 2015 and the St. Rita Hall of fame in 2019. His sons Jake and Joey were also part of the school’s football program. Jake served as team manger before graduating in 2020 and Joey was a wide receiver on Kuska’s fall 2022 squad.