John T. "J.T." Curtis Jr. (born 1947) is a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

for

John Curtis Christian School John Curtis Christian School is a co-educational, non-sectarian, private Christian K-12 school in River Ridge, Louisiana, in the United States. The school colors are red, white and blue and the school's nickname is Patriots. History The school w ...

. In 2023, he broke the record of

John McKissick John McKissick (September 25, 1926 – November 28, 2019) was a head football coach of Summerville High School in Summerville, South Carolina. In 2012, he became the first American football coach in history (high school, college, or professional) ...

’s record of 621 wins, securing his 622nd win against nationally recognized

Edna Karr High School Edna Karr High School is a public, open enrollment, coeducational charter school in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The school is a college preparatory high school and is a part of InspireNOLA Charter Schools and the New Orleans Public ...

. In 2010, he was inducted to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and in 2015, he was inducted to the National High School Hall of Fame. Following the 2024 season, his coaching record stands as 623 wins, 81 losses, and 6 ties in 55 seasons.

Early life

Curtis is a native of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. Curtis graduated from

East Jefferson High School East Jefferson High School is a public high school located in Metairie in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. It serves portions of Metairie and Kenner.Metairie, Louisiana Metairie ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020, Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish and was (a ...

in 1966, where he was an all-state and All-American

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

for the school's football team. Curtis attended the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

on a football scholarship for three years before transferring to Louisiana College in 1968, where he continued to play football.

Coaching career

Curtis' father, John T. Curtis, Sr., founded

in River Ridge, Louisiana in 1962 where he was named head football coach there in 1969 at the age of 22. In his first season, the Patriots football team finished the year 0-10 and scored only two touchdowns the entire season. The following season the Patriots made the playoffs and by 1973 they had their first appearance in the LHSAA quarterfinals. In 1975, Curtis led his team to the school's first football state championship, defeating Notre Dame High School of Crowley, Louisiana by a score of 13-12. The team have won 28 state championships to date, the most for any high school football program in

history, far surpassing the team with the second-most championships, Haynesville High School in

Haynesville, Louisiana Haynesville is a town in northern Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, United States, located just south of the Arkansas border. The population was 2,327 at the 2010 census. Haynesville is known as the "Gateway to North Louisiana" and the "Butterfly Ca ...

, who holds 17 state championships. J.T. Curtis is currently the winningest high school football coach in

history and the winningest American-football coach in history. He achieved his 600th win, only the second coach in the nation to ever do so, with a 37-16 win over

Archbishop Shaw High School Archbishop Shaw High School is an Archdiocesan school administered under the Salesians of St. John Bosco. It is approved by the Louisiana State Department of Education and the Southern Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. Founded in 1962 ...

in 2021. In 2012, the John Curtis football program was named the national champion by five national polls after going an undefeated 14-0 and defeating

Evangel Christian Academy Evangel Christian Academy is a private, Christian school in Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shr ...

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

35-13 in the LHSAA Class 2A state championship game. It was the first ever national title for Curtis and the Patriots football program and the first by a team from

since West Monroe High School was named national champions in 2000, and they are also the only team from Louisiana to receive the honor since. In 2013, the Patriots football program was forced to forfeit 20 wins from 2013 to 2015, including their 2013 state championship, due to sanctions by the LHSAA around the eligibility of now former JCCS football player Willie Allen. Curtis and the school have maintained to date that there were no improprieties regarding Allen. In his storied career, Curtis has coached 14 players who played in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

including

Joe McKnight Joseph Nathan McKnight Jr. (April 16, 1988 – December 1, 2016) was an American football running back and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He attended the University of Sout ...

Malachi Dupre Malachi Dupre (born October 12, 1995) is an American football wide receiver. He played college football at Louisiana State University (LSU). He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Early years Dupre ...

Duke Riley Duke Riley is an American artist. Riley earned a BFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design, and a MFA in Sculpture from the Pratt Institute. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. He is noted for a body of work incorporating the seafarer ...

Kenny Young Kenny Young (born Shalom Giskan, April 14, 1941 – April 14, 2020) was an American songwriter, musician, producer and environmental campaigner who wrote and in some cases produced hit songs for The Drifters, Ronnie Dove, Herman's Hermits, Mark ...

, and

Mike Stonebreaker Michael David Stonebreaker (born January 14, 1967) is a former professional American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons for the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints. He was drafted in the ninth ...

among others. He has also coached dozens of high school All-Americans and players who went on to compete on the college level. He also had at least one player named first team all-state every year from 1975 to 2019, a state record. The Patriots won five consecutive state championships, the only team in Louisiana to ever do so, from 2004 to 2008. They have also won four consecutive titles once (1996–99) and three consecutive titles twice (1979–81, 1983–85). He has also won three state championships as head baseball coach at John Curtis.

Awards, recognition, records

* Most Consecutive State Championships (5) * Most Consecutive State Title Game Appearances (14) * Most Consecutive Games Without Being Shut Out (303) (National Record) * 28x LHSAA Football State Champion * 3x LHSAA Baseball State Champion * 9x LFCA Coach of the Year * 6x LSWA Coach of the Year * 1964 Parade High School Football All-American * 1992 inductee to the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame * 1994 inductee to the Louisiana Christian University Athletic Hall of Fame * 2010 inductee to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame * 2015 inductee to the National High School Hall of Fame * Named 1980s Coach of the Decade by the National Sports Foundation

State Championships

*1975 LHSAA Class 2A (defeated Notre Dame), 13-12) *1977 LHSAA Class 2A (defeated Jonesboro-Hodge, 45-0) *1979 LHSAA Class 2A (defeated Patterson, 28-0) *1980 LHSAA Class 2A (defeated Jonesboro-Hodge, 21-3) *1981 LHSAA Class 2A (defeated E.D. White Catholic, 21-17 *1983 LHSAA Class 2A (defeated

Belle Chasse Belle Chasse ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Belle Chasse is part of the Greater New Orleans metropolitan area. The population was 10,579 at the 20 ...

, 38-0) *1984 LHSAA Class 2A (defeated Ferriday, 23-7) *1985 LHSAA Class 3A (defeated Wossman, 28-0) *1987 LHSAA Class 3A (defeated Amite, 27-14) *1988 LHSAA Class 3A (defeated Washington-Marion, 14-7) *1990 LHSAA Class 3A (defeated Washington-Marion, 42-13) *1993 LHSAA Class 4A (defeated Wossman, 42-14) *1996 LHSAA Class 4A (defeated Crowley, 28-7) *1997 LHSAA Class 4A (defeated

Eunice Eunice is a feminine given name, from the Greek Εὐνίκη, ''Euníkē'', from "eu", good, and "níkē", victory. Eunice is also a relatively rare last name, found in Nigeria and the Southeastern United States, chiefly Louisiana and Georgia. Pe ...

, 21-6) *1998 LHSAA Class 4A (defeated

, 20-7) *1999 LHSAA Class 4A (defeated Capitol, 16-0) *2001 LHSAA Class 4A (defeated

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

, 30-0) *2002 LHSAA Class 4A (defeated O.P. Walker, 16-14) *2004 LHSAA Class 4A (defeated

Northside Northside or North Side may refer to: Music * Northside (band), a musical group from Manchester, England * NorthSide, an American record label * NorthSide Festival (Denmark), a music festival in Aarhus, Denmark * "Norf Norf", a 2015 song by Vinc ...

, 29-14) *2005 LHSAA Class 2A (defeated St. Charles Catholic, 31-6 *2006 LHSAA Class 2A (defeated St. Charles Catholic, 41-7 *2007 LHSAA Class 2A (defeated St. James, 28-13) *2008 LHSAA Class 2A (defeated Evangel Christian, 35-14) *2011 LHSAA Class 2A (defeated Winnfield, 33-3) *2012 LHSAA Class 2A (defeated Evangel Christian, 35-13 *2013 LHSAA Division II (defeated University Lab, 32-0) (Later forfeited) *2018 LHSAA Division I (defeated Catholic-Baton Rouge, 49-7) *2022 LHSAA Division I Select (defeated Brother Martin, 23-0)

References

External links

John Curtis Christian School website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, John T. Jr. Living people Arkansas Razorbacks football players East Jefferson High School alumni High school football coaches in Louisiana Louisiana Christian University alumni Louisiana Christian Wildcats football players People from River Ridge, Louisiana Players of American football from New Orleans 1947 births