January 24, 2022
Dear Avonains,
I hope this email finds you well as 2022 gets underway. On campus, we have been able to navigate COVID-19 with great success, and the students are back to experiencing the Avon they know and love with minimal disruption.
As a long-time assistant coach to Kevin Driscoll, Avon football has a special place in my heart. It was especially exciting this past fall to see Kevin finally raise his namesake New England Bowl Championship Trophy in his last postseason as head coach. The continued success of the football program is not only personal to me, but is integral to the school. Finding the person to succeed Coach Driscoll has been an important task, and I am pleased to report we have found the right coach to lead our boys.
As we look ahead to the fall football season, I am excited to announce that Jon Wholley has been appointed as The Kevin J. Driscoll '72 Head Football Coach. Jon joined the AOF community last year as assistant coach and a first-time teacher. As a seasoned coach, he was able to apply his methodology into teaching making him a quick favorite among the students and the players.
Jon came to Avon with the experience of coaching at Mississippi State, three years as the UConn Huskies linebackers coach and, prior to the 2017 season, three years as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for Fordham University. After years of building an impressive resume, he was interviewing with the Giants, the Patriots, and others when the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on everything. Jon shares that he often joked that one day he might retire and come work at Avon Old Farms, as he'd always thought it was a special place when he would visit campus on recruiting trips.
A Southington, Conn. native, Jon was a member of the UConn football team from 2001–04 as a running back, joining the team as a walk-on. He later earned a scholarship and was a member of the 2004 Motor City Bowl championship team. After earning his undergraduate degree, Jon worked as an assistant coach at Central Connecticut State for the 2005 season. Jon then returned to UConn as a graduate assistant coach for the 2006–08 seasons working on the offensive side of the ball. He was part of the coaching staff that led the Huskies to a share of the 2007 BIG EAST Championship and an appearance in the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl before moving on to roles with Fordham. Over the course of his football career—both as a player and a coach—he's been a member of four conference championship teams, five bowl games, and a state championship as a high schooler.
I hope you will join me in cheering on our Winged Beavers this fall as Jon takes the field as the first Kevin J. Driscoll '72 Head Coach.
Aspirando et perseverando,