Kurt Webster walks onto the field for the first football game of the season, joining the other coaches on the sidelines, and puts his headset on — all with a smile on his face. 

Previous head football coach, Bo Black, contacted Webster two years ago, offering him a job as the offensive coordinator.

“Coach Black called me when I was the head coach at Chapman, and he asked if I’d be interested in coming ,” Webster said. “He said, ‘You can come up here and do what you do on offense, I’m going to be retiring soon, and if that’s something you’re interested in, you can apply for the job.’” 

After last year’s football season ended, Webster entered the application process. 

He put together a packet of his core values, program philosophies, schematics, and what the program would look like under his control. Webster then went through an interview with the administration, other NW head coaches, and previous players’ parents, against the other applicants. 

“I felt really comfortable in there, because I knew the people in there wanted the same things that I want,” Webster said. 

Dr. Lisa Gruman told Webster he had gotten the job during wrestling season that year. 

Before Northwest, Webster was the defensive coordinator at Emporia High for a year, Shawnee Mission West for three years, and head coach at Chapman High School for seven years before coming to coach at Northwest.

“I went to Shawnee Mission West, and I loved the area and always wanted to come back,” Webster said.

During his time at SMW, the team won the 6A state title in 2012. While he was at Chapman, the team had two seven-win seasons, going to and winning the playoffs in each. 

Because he was the defensive coordinator last season, Webster has gotten to know most of the team and worked with almost all of them, giving him a small leg-up going into this season that a brand-new coach wouldn’t have. 

“It’s been really exciting,” Webster said. “A dream come true. And it feels like a great fit, like my personality fits with a lot of the kids.” 

Now, Webster enters the season without Bo Black, but with his core values intact. 

“When I took over the job, I wanted to make sure that we keep everything that coach Black did that I really like, we’re not trying to tear down anything good – they’re in place for a reason,” Webster said.