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Gibbs names Plant City assistant Jon Thompson head football coach

 
Published April 6, 2015

Jon Thompson was named football coach at Gibbs on Monday morning. He becomes the fifth head coach at the school since 2007. Thompson, 29, was an assistant coach at Plant City for two seasons. Prior to that he was an assistant for three years at Tallahassee Lincoln.

"I understand the commitment they have to the football program and they understand the vision that I have for the program," Thompson said. "We have to hit the ground running. We don't have a lot of time. We need to put a staff together, we have to assess academic situations. We start with study hall and workouts (Tuesday)."

Thompson will be a teacher at the school, although he does not yet have a full-time classroom. He replaces Rick Kravitz, who resigned in March after going 9-11 in his two seasons (5-5 last season). Thompson does have one assistant coach selected. Former Gibbs head coach Antonio Knox will be an offensive assistant.

Gibbs has not had a winning season since 2009, when the Gladiators were 6-5 under Donnie Abraham. The Gladiators will be challenged in 2015, especially after top defensive back Craig Watts transferred to Admiral Farragut.

Gibbs principal Reuben Hepburn said there were more than 30 applicants for the job and his main priority was finding a coach who can provide stability.

"We are looking for someone who is going to be here long term," Hepburn said. "Gibbs High School has a lot of turnover as it relates to coaches. Getting someone who is an educator first is primary. Coach Thompson fits that bill. He's part of this community and he's part of a winning tradition from when he was at Lincoln. I think he's going to do well here."