RIDGEFIELD, CT — Ridgefield High School sports will celebrate the end of an era Saturday when the community gathers to pay tribute to retiring football coach Kevin Callahan.
Callahan took over the RHS football program in 1999. Three years later, the team took the CIAC Class L State Championship. The Tigers finished as CIAC Class LL State Runners-up in 2016. He began his coaching career at Bullard Havens Tech in 1991, and followed that with seven years at the helm of the program at his Alma Mater, Notre Dame-Fairfield, from 1992-1998.
In 2019, Callahan was recognized by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association as the Football Coach of the Year. He is scheduled to be inducted into the FCIAC Hall of Honor as a member of the class of 2024.
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James Reed, formerly an assistant coach and offensive coordinator in Ridgefield’s football program, will be taking the Tigers’ reins this fall. He told Patch that Callahan’s legacy was less about X’s and O’s, and more about character.
“What stands out the most for me, is that I’ve seen him do the right thing — over and over and over, even when it was gonna cause headaches for him. Or no one was gonna know if something was swept under the rug. And he always did the right thing,” Reed said.
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“Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. That’s Kevin.”
The community is invited to give Callahan a proper send-off at the Nod Hill Brewery biergarten on Saturday, June 29, from 3-6 p.m. There is no cost to attend the celebration, but reservations are strongly encouraged.
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