A firing nobody saw coming

Providence Catholic announced Sunday it had fired football coach Tyler Plantz. The Celtics are undefeated, ranked No. 5 in the Super 25, and played in the Class 5A title game last season.

No real reason given

Athletic director Doug Ternik offered nothing concrete about why Plantz was dismissed. He said only that the football program was moving in a new direction.

Plantz breaks his silence

On Monday he sent a statement to the Sun-Times laying out his version of the weekend. He said school president Fr. John Merkelis asked him to resign on Saturday.

A text on Friday night

Plantz says he got a text from Merkelis on Friday, September 11, telling him to be in the office at 10 a.m. Saturday. He asked what it was about and was told nothing.

“Even though I asked what he wanted to discuss, I had no forewarning for his agenda.”

Under an hour to end it

The Saturday meeting lasted less than an hour. Merkelis said staff members had passed along complaints from a few disgruntled colleagues and a few football parents.

The three complaints

Plantz says the concerns were scheduling disorganization for lower level teams, his handling of college recruiting, and how he structured lower level practices.

Not even his job

Plantz disputes the first one outright. Scheduling games for the lower level teams, he says, was never his responsibility.

“He cited problems with disorganization related to scheduling games for lower level teams, which was not my responsibility.”

No rules were broken

There were no disciplinary issues in the file and nothing that violated IHSA rules or Providence Catholic policy. Plantz says Merkelis confirmed those were his only concerns.

“There were no disciplinary issues or any actions by me that violated any IHSA rules or any rules of Providence Catholic.”

He refused to quit

They met again Sunday at 10 a.m. Plantz told Merkelis he would not resign, because leaving college football for this job had been a deeply personal choice.

“I would never quit on my student athletes or our team.”

His brother's legacy

Plantz's brother Zac died in a car accident on Thanksgiving Day 2020. The family made a major donation to Providence Catholic in his memory, and Plantz saw coaching there as an extension of that gift.

“We consider my leadership role at the school as a way to extend the benefits of that gift.”

Fired before being told

The school announced the firing Sunday afternoon, September 13. As of Monday morning, Plantz says he still had no formal notice that he had been terminated.

“I am confounded by this decision and how it has been handled.”

Mid-season exits are rare

High schools almost never fire a varsity football coach in the middle of a season. Doing it to a 4-0 team ranked first in its class is rarer still.

A Providence kid

Plantz graduated from Providence in 2010 and Notre Dame in 2014. He walked on in South Bend, worked his way onto special teams, and earned a scholarship as a senior.

From Brian Kelly to the Celtics

He coached on Brian Kelly's staff at Notre Dame before taking the Providence job in 2022. His record with the Celtics is 35-19.

What he built

In four seasons Providence reached three IHSA semifinals and two finals. Over the last three years, 24 Celtic alumni committed to play college football.

Who coaches now

Offensive coordinator Adam Nissen takes over as interim coach for the rest of the season. The team has already clinched a playoff spot.

“For me, it's all about the kids with the goal of helping young men become the best version of themselves.”