ORWIGSBURG — Blue Mountain’s new head football coach is a Hall of Fame blast from the past.

Chuck Kutz was introduced as the Eagles’ next head coach in a meeting with his players Friday afternoon.

The 57-year-old North Manheim Township resident was Blue Mountain’s head coach from 1998-2008, guiding the Eagles to six District 11 Class 3A titles and three trips to the PIAA Class 3A playoffs in those 11 seasons.

Blue Mountain athletic director Doug Morgan said he got the OK from the school board to introduce Kutz to the team and begin offseason workouts. Kutz will officially be ratified by the board at its Committee of the Whole meeting Feb. 20.

“When I heard his name … wow,” said Morgan, who said there were four applicants. “This is the absolute best situation for the Blue Mountain football program and its athletes, without a doubt.”

Kutz served as a Blue Mountain assistant coach last season under Tom Gallagher, who resigned Jan. 15 and was hired Jan. 28 as the head coach at Elizabethtown Area High School.

Gallagher compiled a 25-18 record in his four seasons at Blue Mountain, including three straight District 11 Class 4A playoff appearances. The Eagles finished 7-4 in 2024, falling to Lehighton 29-28 in the Class 4A quarterfinals.

Providing some stability within the program and continuing to build on what Gallagher had established at Blue Mountain were Kutz’s main reasons for taking the head coaching position.

“I worked under Tom Gallagher last year, so I was with the program. He did such an outstanding job that I wanted to help continue to build upon that, trying to help create stability within the program and move forward,” Kutz said.

“It’s a great group of kids. I wanted to be there to keep the ball rolling.”

Kutz was a standout multi-sport athlete at Blue Mountain, helping the Eagles reach the 1983 Eastern Conference Class B playoffs. He went on to play at Bucknell University and is a member of both the Blue Mountain All-Sports Hall of Fame and the Allen-Rogowicz Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

A 1985 graduate, Kutz began his teaching career with the Washington Township School District in Sewell, New Jersey, coming back to his home district in 1995. He was a social studies teacher in the high school from 1995-2011 before transitioning into a role as a high school guidance counselor.

Kutz left Blue Mountain in March 2016 for a guidance counselor position at the Hamburg Area Middle School. He officially retired from education in June.

On the football field, Kutz piloted Blue Mountain’s most successful era, as the Eagles went 53-9 in his first five years and won or shared five District 11 crowns.

His 1998 squad recorded the first unbeaten regular season in school history, while his 1999 (Manheim Central), 2002 (Lower Dauphin) and 2007 squads (West Scranton) reached the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals.

Kutz compiled an 81-45 overall record at Blue Mountain in 11 seasons, stepping down after the 2008 campaign. He returned to the sideline in 2016 at Hamburg, guiding the Hawks for five seasons and compiling a 20-29 overall record with three playoff appearances.

Kutz’s 2019 Hamburg squad defeated Big Spring 28-0 in the Eastern Conference Class 4A championship, the only football championship of any kind in school history.

Kutz said he will retain Blue Mountain’s coordinators from last season, with Tom McGeoy guiding the offense and Harry Myers directing the defense.

“We’ll have some of the same coaches from the past staff that was there in prior (years), so some things will be similar, and some things will be different,” Kutz said. “My coordinators will be the same, but we will do some things differently, the way that I had done things in the past.

“Harry and I have been together for years, so that will be a seamless transition. Tom did an outstanding job last year and I was really impressed with him and certainly wanted him to come back if he was available.”

A unique dynamic of Kutz’s return to Blue Mountain is that several of the Eagles’ current players have family ties (fathers, uncles, etc.) who played for Kutz during his first stint with the school.

For example, quarterback Cohen Kirby’s father Keith was the QB for the 1998 and 1999 squads, while lineman Dylan Foose’s father Tim was an All-State lineman during the same time period.

Kutz is hoping his new Eagles have the same type of success as his previous Eagles.

“There are a number of kids that are coming through (now) with names that were on those teams,” Kutz said. “It is a neat dynamic to see a second generation come through. All good people. The kids that I see on that football team from last year, great families, great kids.

“I want to keep it moving and have the success that they deserve. They’re hard-working kids and have progressed under Coach Gallagher each year. My goal when I talk to them is that we’d like to continue this and obviously build upon this as well.”

Chuck Kutz Coaching Career, Year by Year

Year               School                                            Rec.               Accomplishments

1998              Blue Mountain                          11-1                D-11 3A champion

1999              Blue Mountain                          12-1                D-11 3A champion, PIAA quarterfinals

2000              Blue Mountain                          10-2                D-11 3A champion

2001              Blue Mountain                          9-3                   D-11 3A co-champion

2002              Blue Mountain                          11-2                D-11 3A champion, PIAA quarterfinals

2003              Blue Mountain                          4-6

2004              Blue Mountain                          2-8                   Moved to Berks League

2005              Blue Mountain                          5-5

2006              Blue Mountain                          6-5                   EC Class III runner-up

2007              Blue Mountain                          8-5                   D-11 3A champion, PIAA quarterfinals

2008              Blue Mountain                          3-7

Total at Blue Mountain                              81-45 (.643)

2016              Hamburg                                       6-5                   EC South runner-up

2017              Hamburg                                       1-9

2018              Hamburg                                       4-7                   EC 4A runner-up

2019              Hamburg                                       6-5                   EC 4A champion

2020              Hamburg                                       3-3                   COVID season

Total at Hamburg                                            20-29 (.408)

Overall coaching record                         101-74 (.577)