Benton Chooses Matt Tabor as Next Football Coach

By Ross Martin - St. Joseph News Press

Matt Tabor entered the familiar halls of Benton High School on Wednesday afternoon, ready for the school to announce him as its next football coach.

The walk down the historic corridors was a long time coming for the 1995 Benton graduate.

“I’m not that old, but it does seem like forever since I’ve been down here,” Tabor said.

The school’s announcement ended weeks of speculation on Tabor’s candidacy for the job. The St. Joseph School District conducted interviews Tuesday and eventually picked the name most prominently linked to the opening. Tabor spent the past season as an assistant at Lafayette following four years at Bishop LeBlond as head coach.

Tabor’s father, Don, who died last month, coached for more than two decades at Christian Brothers/LeBlond before spending 11 years at Benton.

“I believe some of this is divine intervention,” Tabor said. “I think my dad’s up there moving some chess pieces around.

“For me and my career, I just felt like the time was now. This is the job I always wanted. This is it. This is my final resting spot right here.”

Earlier speculation had Tabor eliminated as a candidate in recent weeks, but Tabor simply continued to mull over his options. He spent the past year on Paul Woolard’s staff in a chance to coach on the same sideline as his childhood friend.

“He had the calling to go down there,” Woolard said. “At the end of the day, what I told him is he has to look out for his family. I support him 100 percent.”

Leaving Lafayette turned out to be the hardest part of Tabor’s decision.

“They understand this isn’t an opportunity that comes up every day,” Tabor said. “Here’s what made it a tough decision. Lafayette High School is not the place people think it is. It’s truly a family.

“I have never been so happy to be a part of a place as I was there. People will never know how much I care about those people and that school up there.”

Doug Flowers, the district’s director of human resources, wouldn’t say Tabor started at the top of the list, but there was no denying the school’s interest. Flowers said Tabor’s name immediately came to mind when Benton and former coach Derek Wilson parted ways two weeks ago.

But Clinton coach Mike Long and Jim Wolfe — two other Benton alums — were amongst the five candidates interviewed Tuesday.

“With (Tabor’s) ties — not only to Benton High School and his father being so well respected as a football coach at this institution — it was a logical thought,” Flowers said. “But in the end, it was up to Mr. Tabor to convince us through the interview process that he was the best candidate for this position.”

Benton finished 2-9 this past season, failing to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2003, when the Cardinals went 2-7 in Wilson’s first season as head coach. Tabor owns a 15-22 record from his four years at LeBlond.