The Krause File
Name: Jason Krause
Age: 39
Resides: Liberty Twp.
High school: Edgewood
College: University of Dayton (bachelor degree 1994, masters 2003); Played linebacker for the Flyers
Family: Married to Denise; four children Haley (15), Hunter (13), Hayden (11) and Henlie (5).
FAIRFIELD —The search for the next Fairfield High School football coach took a dynamic turn during the last week of 2010.
When Aaron Fitzstephens stepped down as head coach on Dec. 8, 2010, after two seasons, Fairfield Athletic Director Mark Harden began taking the necessary steps to find the next leader of the Tribe.
“I set five qualities that I was looking for in our next coach,” Harden said. “I was looking for head coaching experience, winning head coaching experience, someone familiar with our league, a person that was a fit for our type of kid, who understood our population and history; and someone who could teach character and instill character in our kids. I wanted the kids to leave the program as better people.”
After an internal job posting within the Fairfield district elicited no candidates after a week, Harden posted the job outside the district with a deadline of Dec. 30.
That brought a flood of interest from across the country from coaches wanting to take over at one of Ohio’s largest high schools. The Fairfield district’s enrollment is more than 3,000 students. Harden received resumes from 14 states, ranging from college assistants to high school head coaches to volunteer assistants.
“A lot of things happen in that time when you’re collecting resumes,” Harden said. “You have guys officially applying and guys non-officially applying and just expressing an interest.”
Harden had a list of 60 candidates who formally applied for the job, either by e-mail or letter. He had another group of candidates that had informally contacted him.
“We had three or four people we conducted informal phone interviews with on that list, and there were a few others who contacted us,” Harden said.
One of those was Middletown coach Jason Krause, who reached out to Harden during the last week of December.
“He contacted us,” Harden said. “He expressed an interest and asked if he could come and ask some questions about the job.”
It wasn’t a call Harden expected, considering Krause was coming off a season where he led the Middies to their first 10-0 mark since 1934, a Greater Miami Conference co-championship and their second consecutive Division I playoff berth.
“When I saw Aaron resigned, I didn’t really think twice about it,” Krause said. “It wasn’t until we had some time off over (winter) break.”
During the break, Krause thought about the job and discussed it with his wife, Denise, and his family.
“It wasn’t one big sit down conversation with the family. It was more of little conversations in the car and things like that during the break,” Krause said.
Then he reached out to Harden, which led to a meeting between the two.
“We were extremely excited,” Harden said about that informational meeting. “It changed our time line a little bit. He left that meeting after he heard my vision and what the teaching and job components would be, and basically said he would be interested.”
Krause alerted Middletown Principal Dennis Newell and Athletic Director Gary Lebo the next day that he had inquired about the Fairfield job.
“My reaction was that I was a little surprised,” Lebo said of the face-to-face meeting with Krause. “Jason and I have a good working relationship, and we respect each other’s decisions. Jason knows how I felt. I wanted him to stay.”
It was not the first time Krause had shown interest in Fairfield.
He was a finalist for the same job in 2007 after leading Monroe to the Division III state semifinals and an 11-3 record. Then-Athletic Director Jim Sherard hired Doc Gamble, who went 1-9 in his only season with the Indians.
Following the 2008 season, both Sherard and Gamble left Fairfield.
Fitzstephens was hired to replace Gamble and then Harden was chosen as athletic director.
“The communication was much more clear this time,” Krause said. “It went as good as it could go.”
Harden and Krause then had a second meeting, this one lasting nearly two hours.
“I wanted to get a feel for their commitment to the program and that job,” Krause said. “Is football very important to your community and your school district? I needed to get that feel from them, and I think it is important for them.”
Harden knew he had found his guy.
“After these initial conversations, he was a slam dunk in all those categories I was looking for,” Harden said. “He was all those things and more. But I’m not the sole decision maker. I wanted the others to see this.”
Krause had a formal meeting with the other three members of the hiring committee — Assistant Superintendant Paul Otten, Principal Billy Smith and Assistant Athletic Director Greg Whited.
“One thing that came through with Jason is that he has a long-term view about Fairfield and where we can be,” Harden said.
They offered Krause the job on Friday, Jan. 7.
Krause wanted some time to review the information and reach a decision. He discussed it with his wife and then departed on a previously scheduled hunting trip.
Krause and a close friend took their muzzleloaders and headed to Adams County, where Krause has property.
“We ran through the pros and cons over the weekend, and then on Sunday I threw some of that stuff at my wife again,” said Krause, who played linebacker at the University of Dayton.
“I knew in my heart and my mind which way I wanted to go.”
Krause returned to Middletown on Monday and informed Newell, Lebo and Superintendant Greg Rasmussen of his decision.
He was leaving the conference champion Middies to take the same job at Fairfield, a team in the same league that finished 2-8 in 2010.
“The intriguing part is how big the school is. They have more boys than anybody, the area, the dynamics of the kids in the hallways, it is an excellent rated school district, it’s a place where families want their kids to go to school and the fact that they have had success before,” said Krause, a 39-year-old father of four.
That prior success includes a state championship in 1986 and a GMC championship and playoff appearance in 2005.
A process expected to take more than six weeks was settled in just over one.
There was understandable reaction from both sides. One school was losing a winning coach, while another was gaining a coach who went 26-7 over the past three seasons and was twice named GMC Coach of the Year (2009, 2010).
“People were disappointed with the changes,” Lebo said. “But Jason did a good job for three years. There is a solid foundation here for Middletown football.”
The Fairfield community was wildly enthusiastic about its new coach, who actually attended kindergarten at Fairfield West before graduating from Edgewood in 1990.
“I’ve gotten a ridiculous amount of positive texts, e-mails and phone calls,” Harden said.
Krause was introduced to the Fairfield community Friday. His last day at Middletown is Tuesday.
“I understand you don’t win games with preseason press clippings, but what our kids see and our community sees is that we are committed to bringing in the best people to do the best things,” Harden said.
“I feel like we got our man.”
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