Ed Dillon named athletic director at John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy has hired Ed Dillon as its new athletic director.

Dillon arrives at the Gentilly school from Karr, his alma mater, where he served as assistant head football coach under Brice Brown since 2012. Dillon previously served as an assistant coach at Nicholls State from 2008-11, working with cornerbacks and coaching special teams.

Before his arrival at Nicholls, Dillon coached defensive backs and special teams at Tri-Cities High in East Point, GA and also coached at Therel High in Atlanta, GA.

Having started his coaching career at Karr in 1999-2000 as a defensive assistant coach, Dillon volunteered to coach linebackers.

Dillon played at Karr from 1990-94 and was an All-Metro and All-State player for the Cougars as part of a state championship team in 1993 under Don Wattigny. Dillon was named the Louisiana 3A Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 as the standout on that side of the ball for the Cougars while future NFL star Patrick Surtain was the standout on offense at quarterback for Karr.

Aside from starring as a player at Karr, Dillon also played defensive back at Nicholls State from 1995-97 and was part of the 1995 team that went to the NCAA playoffs after going 0-11 in 1994.

“It was too good of an opportunity to pass up at JFK,” Dillon said. “This is a new school with very nice facilities and a very high ceiling.”

Dillon is reunited with a friend and familiar face at JFK from his days at Karr.

“Mr. Harold Clay is the former principal at Karr and he is now at John F. Kennedy in the same capacity,” Dillon said. “He noted the hard work that I put in at Karr and that is what led to this opportunity. We want to ramp up our entire athletic program to make it the best it can possibly be. We want to be successful. I am accustomed to success at Karr. It takes the same approach we have had at Karr.”

Dillon knows what it will take to build a consistent winner at John F. Kennedy.

“You have to have good coaches and you have to do things the right way and treat people the way they want to be treated,” Dillon said. “Those are principles we will apply. There are challenges here but I welcome them and I feel strongly that we can be successful across the board in athletics.”

One thing will carry over from Dillon’s long history at Karr.

“I am still a Cougar at JFK,” Dillon said.