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Cleveland native Jonathan Gannon hired as head coach of Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals have hired St. Ignatius grad and former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as their new head coach.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — After serving as the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive coordinator in the team's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday, as it turns out, Jonathan Gannon is going to stick around "The Valley" a little longer.

As first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Arizona Cardinals are hiring the Cleveland native as their new head coach.

A 2001 graduate of St. Ignatius High School, the 40-year-old Gannon doubled as a hot head coaching candidate as he helped lead the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII. In addition to the Cardinals, he drew interest from the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans during their respective coaching searches since the end of the 2022 season.

During his two-year stint as Philadelphia's defensive coordinator under head coach -- and former Mount Union wide receiver -- Nick Sirianni, Gannon oversaw a defense that was consistently considered one of the league's best. This past season, the Eagles ranked seventh in points allowed per game and first in yards allowed per play.

Before his rise up the coaching ranks, Gannon was a three-sport star at St. Ignatius. He especially shined as a defensive back on the football field and was ultimately inducted into the school's athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.

“We’ve had some very good athletes,” legendary head coach Chuck Kyle said in Gannon’s Hall-of-Fame induction video. “I’ve never seen a more shutdown corner than Jon Gannon.”

While he would continue his football career at the University of Louisville, a hip injury would bring his playing days to a premature end. Staying with the Cardinals as a student assistant, Gannon jump-started a coaching career that has included stints with the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colt, Eagles and now the Cardinals.

RELATED: Former Saint Ignatius football coach Chuck Kyle traveling to Arizona for Super Bowl

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