Rummel names football coach Jay Roth next athletic director

It came as no surprise.

After interviewing and considering many candidates, Archbishop Rummel has decided to promote long-time football coach and former star quarterback Jay Roth to the position of athletic director.

Roth will succeed Phil Greco, who is retiring at the end of the current school year after 24 years in the position.

Roth will continue as head football coach as well.

“This is an opportunity which I am grateful for and one that I have always aspired to,” Roth said. “Call it a dream come true.”

Roth graduated from Rummel in 1981. As quarterback of the Raiders, he was a three-year starter, guiding Rummel to an unbeaten regular season in 1980, going 10-0, winning a Catholic League district championship

As the head football coach of the Raiders, Roth has accumulated an amazing record, wining 12 district championships and two state titles. Roth also led the Raiders to a pair of other state championship game appearances.

He is the winningest coach in the history of the Catholic League, with 219 victories and only 59 losses. Over the last two seasons, Rummel has slipped a bit, combining to go 13-10.

“I’ve got work to do as a football coach,” Roth said. “I’m not proud of the last two years after being in the state championship game four times in nine years. We have work to do to improve our football program and restore it to excellence. I remain very motivated as a coach. Time is of no essence. I plan on coaching as long as they will allow me to coach. We have to have passion as coaches and we need athletes who have more passion for winning and are willing to pay the price.”

Roth has been around Rummel for nearly the entirety of the school’s existence. His father, Easten, was an assistant coach at Rummel from 1970-1978 and the head coach from 1979-1982.

“I am Rummel through and through,” Roth said. “I’ve grown up here. I know people from every decade of the school’s rich history. I have been around every sport here. I am excited about the new challenge. It’s not about winning and losing. It’s about instilling pride in every sport and instilling passion in every sport with discipline. If we can achieve all of that, the winning will take care of itself.

Roth is honored to succeed Greco, whom he considers to be a mentor.

“It’s meant the world to me to work with Phil all of these years,” Roth said. “Working with him has been a blessing. It has prepared me well for the next step. It is a natural step to become athletic director and something I have been moving toward for quite some time. The marketing degree from Nicholls State 35 years ago will serve me well now.

Roth said Rummel will hire an assistant athletic director to assist with many administrative duties.

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OFFICIAL RELEASE — ARCHBISHOP RUMMEL HIGH SCHOOL
Jay Roth, head football coach at Archbishop Rummel High School, has been named Athletic Director for the 2018-19 school year. The announcement was made Tuesday by Marc Milano, president/principal. As athletic director, Roth will continue to coach his Raider football team.

“I am ecstatic at being named athletic director and hope to continue the excellent program that Phil Greco has guided for the past 24 years,” said Roth. “He has been a great teacher and role model.”

Retiring at the end of this school year, Greco said, “I am pleased that Jay Roth will be taking over the program. His dedication to our kids and to his football program can now be expanded to cover all our Raider athletes and teams. Our Raider athletic program is in great hands with Jay Roth.”

A 1981 alumnus of Archbishop Rummel, Roth has completed 23 years as head coach of the Raider football team with two state championships and 12 Catholic League championships. Prior to coaching at Rummel, he worked at Jesuit, Archbishop Shaw, East Ascension, and East Jefferson. He is a 1985 graduate of Nicholls State University.

Roth and his wife Karen have one son, Craig, who will be an eighth grader at Archbishop Rummel this fall.