JT Curtis will have to wait until 2026 to become America’s Winningest Coach

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Regardless of the outcome of Friday’s District 9-5A football game between John Curtis and Edna Karr or the Patriots’ subsequent success in the state playoffs, J.T. Curtis will have to wait until 2026 to become “America’s Coach.”

A 26-7 victory over District 9-5A rival Brother Martin on Oct. 27 reportedly gave Curtis 621 victories, tying him with the late John M. McKissick of Summerville (South Carolina) High for most career victories by a U.S. high school football coach.

But, because of 30 games the River Ridge school had to forfeit over a three-year period, beginning in 2013, for using an ineligible player, the team’s reported record of 621-78-7 does not accurately reflect the games Curtis forfeited as a result, according to officials at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA).

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But the federation will not sanction a team’s or coach’s record without verification by the state association to which a school is a member, said Chris Boone, assistant director of communications and publications for the NFHS.

“We are required by protocol to have the state association verify records for our official use,” Boone said.

Eddie Bonine, executive director of the LHSAA, said he will not validate Curtis’ victory total because it does not include the forfeits.

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