Jon Kitna
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Jon Kelly Kitna (born September 21, 1972) is an American former professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
who played in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) for the Seattle Seahawks,
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
,
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
, and
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
. He played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the Central Washington Wildcats and was signed by the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He is currently the head football coach at Lakota East High School in
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
.


Early life

Kitna was born and raised in
Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...
. He attended Concordia Lutheran School, before transferring to Lincoln High School after his freshman season. He lettered in football,
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
, and
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
. He enrolled at Central Washington University. He walked on to the football team and was named the starter at quarterback as a true freshman over Beau Baldwin. He passed for 1,964 yards. As a sophomore, he posted 3,241 yards. He had 6 touchdown passes against Pacific Lutheran University. As a junior, he registered 2,532 passing yards. He passed for 456 yards and 7 touchdowns against Pacific Lutheran University. As a senior, he started 14 games, tallying 4,616 passing yards (NAIA Division II record) on 364-of-576 completions (63.1%), 42 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while leading the Wildcats to the NAIA Football National Championship. He surpassed 300 passing yards in 8 contests. He had 455 passing yards and 4 touchdowns against
Western Washington University Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington, United States. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, s ...
. He passed for 454 yards against Whitworth University. Kitna finished his college career with 43 games played, 911-of-1,550 completions (58.8%), 12,353 passing yards, 99 touchdowns and 59 interceptions. He set the NAIA record for career total offense with 12,907 yards. He had 17 games with over 300 passing yards. In 2006, he was inducted into the Central Washington University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2014, he was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Football Hall of Fame.


Professional career


Seattle Seahawks


1996 season

Believing that his football career was over after the NAIA championship, Kitna finished his math education degree at Central Washington and began applying for high-school coaching jobs. Seattle Seahawks head coach Dennis Erickson visited the campus to give a tryout for his nephew, Bryce Erickson, a receiver on the Central Washington team. Impressed by Kitna's strong passes, the Seahawks signed him as an undrafted free agent on April 25. He was waived on August 19 and signed to the practice squad on August 26, where he remained for the rest of the season.


1997 season

Kitna was allocated to the Barcelona Dragons of the
World League of American Football NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...
. He appeared in 10 games, posting 171 completions (led the league), 317 pass attempts (led the league), a 53.9% average, 2,448 passing yards (led the league), 22 passing touchdowns (led the league), 15 interceptions. He set the league record for quarterbacks with 334 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. He was the runner-up to T. J. Rubley for World League MVP honors and was named the
MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...
of the title game, when he led the Barcelona Dragons to a 38–24 World Bowl V win over the
Rhein Fire Rhein Fire may refer to either of two American football franchises: * Rhein Fire (NFL Europe) The Rhein Fire were a professional football team in the NFL Europe, formerly the World League of American Football. Established in Düsseldorf, Germany ...
, completing 23-of-31 passes for 401 yards (league record), 2 touchdowns and one interception. He returned to the Seahawks and was the third-string quarterback behind John Friesz and
Warren Moon Harold Warren Moon (born November 18, 1956) is an American former professional Gridiron football, football player who was a quarterback for 23 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He spent most of h ...
. On December 14, he had his first career start against the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
after Moon injured his ribs, leading the team to the second biggest comeback in franchise history, from a 21–3 halftime deficit to a 22–21 win. Moon returned to start in the season finale against the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
. Kitna played in 3 games, making 23-of-37 completions for 283 yards, one touchdown and 2 interceptions.


1998 season

Kitna was the team's deactivated third-string quarterback in 10 of the first 11 games. He made the first start of the season and second of his career against the Tennessee Oilers and earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, after passing for 298 yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception, while leading a fourth-quarter comeback for the deciding 48-yard field goal in a 20–18 win. He completed 17-of-24 attempts in the next game against the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
, for 278 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 carries for 25 yards and 2 interceptions. He had a 70-yard touchdown pass to Joey Galloway in the first quarter and followed it 3 minutes later with a second 57-yard touchdown pass to Galloway. He also rushed three times for 25 yards at the Jets. In the fifteenth game against the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
, he rallied the team to score 17 fourth quarter points in a 27–23 win, making 16-of-29 completions for 177 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions. He ended the season by passing for 242 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the eventual Super Bowl champion
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
. He was named the starting quarterback for the last 5 contests, leading the team to a 3–2 record. He finished with 98-of-172 completions (57.0%) for 1,177 yards, 7 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Five of his 7 touchdown passes went to
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
Joey Galloway.


1999 season

Kitna started 15 games for the Seahawks. He did not play in the second game against the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
due to a sprained toe he suffered in the season opener against the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
. He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October, after guiding the club to a 3–1 record, while throwing for 7 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. He led the team to a 9–7 record (Kitna going 8–7 in games started), winning the AFC West and into the playoffs for the first time since 1988. Seattle would end up losing 20–17 in the wild card game against the Miami Dolphins. He posted 270-of-495 completions (54.5%) for 3,346 yards (fifth in the AFC), 23 touchdown passes (third in the AFC) and 16 interceptions.


2000 season

In
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
, Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren was concerned with Kitna's preseason performance and tried to work a trade for
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, although it did not come through. Kitna began the season with a four-interception performance against the Miami Dolphins, which opened the door for Holmgren to put second-year quarterback Brock Huard in the game. Kitna started the next 4 contests, before being replaced by Huard in the sixth game against the Carolina Panthers. Huard suffered a concussion two games later in the second quarter against the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
, which forced him to miss 3 games and put Kitna back in the starter role. On November 5, down 15–14 on 3rd-and-16 with 1:28 left in the game, Kitna dodged a possible 17-yard sack by
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
defensive end Neil Smith and made an 18-yard pass to Darrell Jackson. This pass set up the game-winning field goal by
Rian Lindell Rian David Lindell (born January 20, 1977) is an American former professional football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at ...
. Huard returned as the starter in the thirteenth game against the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
, but suffered a season-ending kidney injury in the first quarter. Kitna went on to start the last 4 contests. His last win for the Seahawks came on a rain-soaked
Husky Stadium Husky Stadium (officially Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium for sponsorship purposes) is an outdoor American football, football stadium in the Northwestern United States, located on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle, Wa ...
turf in December of that year, beating the AFC Championship Game-bound Oakland Raiders on a touchdown pass to rookie Darrell Jackson in the final minute of play. The Seahawks were 6–6 in his 12 starts and 0–4 in the other games. He registered 259-of-418 completions (54.5%) for 2,658 yards, 18 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Holmgren chose not to re-sign Kitna after the season.


Cincinnati Bengals


2001 season

On March 8, he signed as an
unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
with the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
. He won the starting quarterback job in preseason over Scott Mitchell and went on to start 15 games. He opened the regular season winning his first 2 starts, becoming the first Bengals quarterback since Greg Cook in 1969 to accomplish the feat. In the sixteenth game overtime 26–23 win against the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
, he threw for a franchise-record 68 passes, tied for the third most in NFL history. He had 35 completions for 411 yards, 2 touchdowns and received AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. In the season finale against the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
, he had 340 passing yards, setting a team record for passing yards in consecutive games with 751. He finished with 313 completions, 581 attempts (team record), a 53.9% average, 3,216 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.


2002 season

Although he was the backup quarterback behind Gus Frerotte for the first 4 games, Kitna started the final 12 contests to help fix a struggling offense. He had 11 games (combined rushing and passing) of 300-or-more yards as well as six straight 350-yard games (Games 7–12), the franchise's longest such streak since 1986. In the eighth game against the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
, he had 22-of-27 completions (81.5%) for 263 yards and 4 touchdowns. In the fifteenth game against the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
, he led the offense on a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives to overcome a 7–13 deficit and get a 20–13 win. In the season, he collected 294-of-473 completions (62.2%) for 3,178 yards, 16 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 24 carries for 57 yards and 4 rushing touchdowns.


2003 season

Kitna played every offensive down and became the first player in franchise history to throw every one of the team's passes in a single-season. He threw 137 straight passes with no interceptions. In the twelfth game 34–27 win against the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
, he tied his career high with four touchdown passes. In the thirteenth game against the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
, he led a 24–20 comeback win, making a game-winning 18-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining. He was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year after throwing for over 3,500 yards and 26 touchdown passes (second in the AFC) in leading the Bengals to an 8–8 record, the team's first non-losing season since 1996.


2004 season

Kitna's secondary role with the team was to prepare young quarterback Carson Palmer (the Bengals' #1 draft pick in 2003). It was a role Kitna accepted gracefully. The two quarterbacks developed a close friendship off the field, particularly because both men are avid
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
ers. By 2004, Palmer was ready to take over the starting job, leading the Bengals to another 8–8 season. Kitna was the backup quarterback until seeing his first action of the season in the thirteenth game against the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
, due to a season-ending knee injury to Palmer. He made 9-of-13 completions for 126 yards and one touchdown in a 28–35 loss. In his first start of the season against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
, he made 16-of-32 completions for 151 yards and one touchdown. He led the team to a 23–22 win against the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
, throwing a four-yard touchdown pass with 0:44 remaining, while also completing 20-of-32 passes for 186 yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception. In the season finale against the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
, he completed 16-of-27 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown, winning 38–10 against the eventual NFC champions.


2005 season

Kitna entered his first game of the season during the fourth quarter against the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
and led the offense on a field goal drive. He played in the final offensive series against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
and went 2-of-2 for 17 yards. He replaced Palmer in the second quarter of the season finale against the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
, completing 13-of-24 passes for 76 yards and 2 interceptions in a 37–3 loss. He was unexpectedly thrust back behind center during the Bengals' AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
on January 8,
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
. Palmer went down with a left knee injury on his second play from scrimmage and Kitna stepped in off the bench and into a relief role. Kitna finished 24-of-40 for 197 yards, one touchdown and 2 interceptions and one fumble as the Bengals fell to the eventual Super Bowl XL champion
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
31–17.


Detroit Lions


2006 season

On March 14, he signed with the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
as an
unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
, to compete with Josh McCown for the quarterback position. Kitna was named the starter and became the first quarterback in franchise history to take every snap in a single-season. He registered 372 completions (franchise record), 596 attempts (franchise record), 62.4 pass completion rate (second in franchise history), 4,208 passing yards (second in franchise history), 21 touchdowns (fourth in franchise history) and 22 interceptions. He also became the second quarterback in franchise history after Scott Mitchell, to pass for 4,000 yards in one season. His four 300-yard passing games were the fourth-most in the NFL.


2007 season

The Lions offense was ranked ninth in the league in passing, with Kitna starting all 16 games, while throwing for 4,068 yards, 18 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He set a single-game franchise record and a personal career-high with 442 passing yards against the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
. He became the first quarterback in franchise history with back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons.


2008 season

Kitna suffered a back injury in the fourth game of the season and was placed on the
injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...
on October 14. The Lions became the first NFL team to finish a season with no wins and 16 losses. He passed Charlie Batch for the eighth place on Detroit's all-time passing list with 9,034 yards. He finished with 68-of-120 (56.7%) for 758 yards and 5 touchdowns. On February 28,
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, he was traded to the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
in exchange for
cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
Anthony Henry.


Dallas Cowboys

In
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, the Cowboys acquired Kitna to improve their backup quarterback situation, after Brad Johnson had a 1–2 record, including a 35–14 loss against the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
when Tony Romo was injured during the previous season. Kitna did not play a single down for the Cowboys in the
regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...
. In
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, Kitna remained idle until October 25, when Romo suffered a broken
clavicle The clavicle, collarbone, or keybone is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately long that serves as a strut between the scapula, shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on each side of the body. The clavic ...
against the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
and was later placed on the
injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...
on December 21. Kitna ended up suffering an abdominal injury against the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
on
Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...
, and was replaced with second-year quarterback Stephen McGee for the rest of the season. Kitna played well in relief of Romo throwing for 2,365 yards, 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in the 9 games he started, compiling a 4–5 record and a career-high 88.9 passer rating in the process. In
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
, he suffered a herniated disk problem in training camp that limited him to only 3 games. In his last action, he took the last snap on a 44–7 victory over the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
on November 13. He couldn't play the rest of the season because his back condition never improved. He was placed on the
injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...
on December 14. McGee was promoted to backup quarterback in his place. The injury forced him to announce his retirement from the NFL on January 12,
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
. On Christmas Eve,
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
, Kitna was called out of retirement to serve as an emergency back-up behind quarterback Kyle Orton, for the season finale against the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
, following a back injury to Romo. He donated his game salary ($55,294 before taxes) to the Lincoln High School Booster Club.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


Postseason


Coaching career

From 2012 to 2014, Kitna was a math teacher and head football coach at alma mater, Lincoln High School. As coach he led the team to a 5–5 record in the 2012 season. Lincoln improved to 8–2 in 2013 and 11–1 in 2014. Lincoln shared the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) District 3A Narrows regular season championship in 2013, with a 5–1 conference record tied with Lacey Timberline. In 2014, Lincoln went 7–0 in conference play and won the outright regular season championship. In January 2015, he resigned from Lincoln and accepted the head coaching job at Waxahachie High School in
Waxahachie, Texas Waxahachie ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Texas, United States. Its population was 41,140 in 2020. The city was founded in 1850, and incorporated in 1871. Much of the employment is provided by a number of industries and by ...
, south of
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
. In February 2018, Kitna was hired at Brophy College Preparatory, an all-men Jesuit high school in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
. He guided the football team to a 7–4 record and a state appearance. In June 2018, he was named the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football, which began play in 2019. However, he did not coach a game for the Fleet as he joined the Dallas Cowboys staff in January to become their quarterbacks coach and work with Dak Prescott. In 2020, he was not retained by new Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. In March 2020, Kitna was hired as the football head coach and athletic coordinator at Burleson High School in Burleson, Texas. He would coach there until the 2022 season. In February 2023, Kitna was hired as the head football coach and dean of students at Lakota East High School in Liberty Township, Ohio.


Head coaching record


Personal life

Kitna became a
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
while attending Central Washington University. His parents, who had previously been non-religious, later became Christians as well. Kitna has four children with his wife. His son Jalen Kitna was a quarterback at
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, but was dismissed from the team in December 2022 after being arrested on child pornography charges. The charges were later reduced to a misdemeanor after investigation, and he was able to re-enroll in classes. Jalen has since committed to play for the UAB Blazers for the 2024 season.


References


External links


Dallas Cowboys profile

FootballDB.com NFL and NFL Europe stats for Kitna
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitna, Jon 1972 births Living people American football quarterbacks Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe) players Central Washington Wildcats football players Cincinnati Bengals players Dallas Cowboys players Detroit Lions players Seattle Seahawks players World Bowl MVPs High school football coaches in Arizona High school football coaches in Texas High school football coaches in Washington (state) Players of American football from Tacoma, Washington Lincoln High School (Tacoma, Washington) alumni Coaches of American football from Washington, D.C. Dallas Cowboys coaches NFL Comeback Player of the Year winners