Lawrence High alumni Jason Thoren has been appointed as next year’s head football coach. After four months of waiting, Thoren’s position was announced at last Monday’s board meeting.
Former head coach Clint Bowen abruptly left LHS at the end of last semester. Since then, players had no knowledge of who their head coach would be.
“It was very hard because no one knew who to trust or who to rely on,” junior Jaxon Becker said. “It’s hard for the younger [players] because they don’t have a coach to get them in line.”
LHS is known for aiming to hire alumni, especially considering the fact that LHS is rich in generational culture. Thoren’s place as an alumni helped his application stand out, but his experience with the sport is what made him special.
Thoren was a part of the LHS graduating class of 1994. During his time here, he excelled in football but also played basketball and baseball.
“Lawrence High is very very special to me,” Thoren said. “This is completely different from what it looked like when I was here.”
Thoren played football at KU in college, then played briefly for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe before signing as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs. Thoren transitioned his football career into coaching and began as an offensive line coach at the University of Minnesota.
Thoren spent 15 years at Baker University, five of which he was the head coach. In 2023, he joined the Mississippi State Bulldogs as a defensive senior analyst for one year and then spent the next year in the same position at UConn.
“Our former coach was an LHS alumni,” head principal Quentin Rials said. “I think it’s [Thoren’s] experience working at a place like Baker– a smaller college –which is very similar to working at a high school.”
Thoren arrived in Lawrence and immediately stopped by the school to meet as many students as he could. He aims to start training as soon as possible. Tonight, Thoren will hold an open meeting with the public here at LHS to discuss himself and the team’s plans for next season.
“This is a special place to me,” Thoren said. “I want people to understand how special of a place this is and how special this place is going to be.”
