St. Laurence Hires New Football Coach

BURBANK, IL - A former Mount Carmel coach will now lead the St. Laurence High School football program. But it's not the man casual high school football fans on the South Side may have had in mind. The now co-ed Burbank school announced Tuesday that Adam Nissen will be the Vikings' head football coach. Nissen comes to St. Laurence from IC Catholic Prep in Elmhurst, where he was the athletic director who oversaw a football program that won two state championships.

The Nissen hire was made after an extensive interview process that included several highly qualified candidates, St. Laurence said in a news release. An interview committee that ended up choosing Nissen included Frank Lenti, the legendary Mount Carmel High School coach who now serves as a special adviser for the Vikings' football program.

Nissen was an assistant coach at Mount Carmel before he went to IC Catholic Prep.

“I’m grateful to have this opportunity to lead the St. Laurence football program,” Nissen said. “I want to thank President Joe Martinez, Principal Jim Muting, Athletic Director Tim Chandler and the interview committee for trusting me to lead such a prestigious program into the future. I’m excited to meet the players, parents, faculty and the rest of the St. Laurence football community and hit the ground running.”

Nissen will also be a social studies teacher at St. Laurence. He was named both “Teacher of the Year” and “Staff Member of the Year” three consecutive times at Urban Prep from 2011 to 2013.