Jay Roth steps down as Rummel coach, leaves large legacy

METAIRIE – The shoes will be hard to fill.

For four decades, a coach or player named Roth has been affiliated with Archbishop Rummel football.

While that will continue into a third generation with Craig Roth, an eighth-grade long snapper, one large part of the Roth family legacy that is Raider football is stepping aside.

After 24 years as the head coach at his alma mater, Jay Roth is moving away from coaching at Archbishop Rummel to focus on his duties as athletic director, a position he accepted last spring.

Stepping in to fill the large coaching shoes of Roth is Nick Monica, who has served on Roth’s football staff since 2005 and has served on the Rummel baseball staff since 2005.

Roth, 55, has retired from coaching as the most accomplished coach in the great history of the highly esteemed Catholic League of New Orleans. He was hired by Phil Greco to take over a struggling program in 1995 and turned it into an instant winner.

Roth posted a record of 228-62, winning nearly 79 percent of his games, the most in Catholic League history. Roth surpassed Bob Conlin, who won 203 games from 1970-96 at Brother Martin, as the Catholic League’s all-time leader in wins in 2015.

He guided the Raiders to consecutive state championships in 2012 and 2013, the first state titles in Rummel football history. Roth took Rummel to two other state finals, in 2009 and 2015, and guided Rummel to the semifinals five other times, including last season.

Rummel had 23 winning seasons and 12 Catholic League championships (outright or shared) in Roth’s 24 years on the job.

The 228 victories ranked ninth among active coaches in Louisiana in 2018 and 34th all-time in Louisiana prep football history.

Monica, 36, played high school baseball at St. Charles Catholic and at the University of New Orleans. He was hired at Rummel as an assistant coach in baseball and football in 2005, working under David Baudry and Roth, respectively.

Monica was promoted to head baseball coach in 2010. He moved up to co-defensive coordinator in 2015 and took over that spot exclusively in 2016.

Monica will continue as head baseball coach this spring before stepping away. The school is beginning a search to name his successor.

Roth will oversee the offseason football program this spring while Monica is coaching baseball before handing over the reins to Monica at the end of the school year.

Like Roth, Monica is a second-generation coach. He is the son of Frank Monica, the long-time, highly successful coach and athletic director at St. Charles Catholic.

The elder Monica has won state championship with the Comets, Lutcher and Riverside Academy and was an assistant coach at Tulane.

The Roth legacy at Rummel dates back to 1970 when Easten Roth, Jay’s father, was hired as offensive line coach by Don Perret. In 1978, Roth took over from Perret as head coach and served in that capacity through 1982, leading Rummel to its first-ever unbeaten regular season in 1980 with Jay Roth at quarterback. Randy Roth, Jay’s younger brother, played football for the Raiders through 1983.

Jay Roth is a member of the New Orleans Prep Sports Hall of Fame, and his plaque is on display at Ye Olde College Inn.

While the large presence of Roth will still be around Rummel football, the shadow he will cast on Monica, an excellent coach, and all others to follow is large as well.

As a low-key, no-nonsense, discipline-conscious practical person and coach, Roth accomplished much with his sound approach. He will go down as one of the very best coaches in the history of prep football in the New Orleans area.