Niekamp to leave AD role

Brent Niekamp will be returning to the classroom.

Fort Recovery School Board on Monday accepted the resignation of Niekamp as athletics and transportation director, paving the way for the former educator to return to teaching.

“I just really miss the classroom, to be honest,” said Niekamp, who will remain football coach. “Between that and just the time involved, it was a decision that (my wife) Kim and I came to.

“Not much more to it than that.”

Niekamp will honor the remainder of his contract and relinquish his duties as AD and transportation director July 31.

“The board shared their appreciation for Mr. Niekamp’s services in recent years and his willingness to complete this academic school year in that role,” Fort Recovery Local Schools’ superintendent Larry Brown said in a press release distributed at the Monday’s school board meeting.

Niekamp, 40, started his teaching career at Fort Recovery in the fall of 2003, and two years later became the fourth coach of the Tribe football team.

Under his tutelage, the Indians won the 2015 Division VII state championship, the first in program history.

When he took over for interim athletics director Barb Sautbine in 2019, he continued his duties as football coach.

While he will have only spent two years as AD, he’s happy to have had the opportunity to try something new.

“Coaching and teaching go together as far as what the job is,” he said. “They are very similar. This was very different than that. I’m glad I did it. I learned a lot and worked with some great people.

“But at the end of the day I just, you know, I’m going to be in education for 20 more years probably. I thought, ‘I think I want to be in the classroom.’”

Brown’s release also said Niekamp’s versatility as a teacher means there should be a position for him to return as teacher this fall.

“Because Mr. Niekamp has multiple teaching area licenses, I am confident that we will have a teaching position within the district, next school year, without displacing any staff members or adding a staff position,” he said. “In March, the district will be seeking someone with skills like Brent for this position which will start in August.”