When Joe Ditolla announced his retirement as defensive coordinator for the New Canaan High School football team, he left a hole 31 years of dedicated service wide. Luckily, his replacement Bill Kurtz is a large guy.

Kurtz is no stranger to New Canaan football, this being his second stint coaching at the high school—he was the linebacker coach for the 2004 and 2005 seasons.  Though his initial tenure was short, anyone who played football at NCHS during those seasons will attest to the intensity and passion Kurtz displayed on the field. And it is no surprise Kurtz counts Ditolla as a friend and mentor.

After Kurtz left New Canaan, he went on to be the coordinator at Westhill High School, where had been head coach prior to his stint with NCHS.  Before the 2008 season Kurtz took a leave of absence to undergo knee surgery and work toward getting his master's degree.

Last season Kurtz played a behind the scenes role for NCHS head coach Lou Marinelli, dissecting film for the 2009 state championship team. The timing could not have been better to rejoin the staff.

"Having been there working on the film, I knew I was going to come back this season to coach," said Kurtz. "The question was: where was I going to coach...I wish Joe [Ditolla] was still around, I have learned a lot from him."

When it came time to pick Ditolla's replacement, Coach Marinelli picked Kurtz from a plethora of options. With defensive back coach Chris Slyvestri, ends coach Fred Word, defensive line coach Steve Lauten and freshman coach Frank Arcamone already on staff, Marinelli had a tough decision.

"Any one of them could do the job well," said Marinelli.

But Kurtz stands apart. Having captured one FCIAC crown and four straight state titles since his departure from West Hills, Kurtz says the task of continuing this winning tradition does not intimidate him.

"My last year [in New Canaan], we lost to East Lyme in states. New Canaan had success that year, we gave up the third least amount of points in the league," Kurtz said. "Four straight titles is a lot to live up to. Ultimately the shoe falls on the kids to work hard, and for us coaches to be prepared to call plays correctly come game time."

When all is said and done, Kurtz does not expect much to change. After the first meeting with his new players, Kurtz recalls one of the athletes observing out loud, "So everything is pretty much going to be the same?"

While Kurtz looks forward to another successful season with the Rams', his only regret is his old friend Joe will not be around. Though everyone in the football community feels the same way, they can rest assured his replacement will fight to keep the New Canaan winning tradition alive.