EVANSVILLE -- Cory Brunson will never tell anyone this was an easy decision.
For three years, he was the football coach at Mount Vernon. But it was more than that. Under his watch, people were talking about the Wildcats again. They were experiencing success and community support was climbing.
That's what makes the next step so difficult for him. There was a calling from the West Side of Evansville. It was one he couldn't shun.
Brunson has been named the next head football coach at Reitz High School. The hire was approved at the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation school board meeting on Monday.
"It was a goal growing up to play for Reitz, coach at Reitz and hopefully one day become the head coach," said Brunson. "It's definitely a great opportunity. I can't wait."
He is no stranger to the program. He is a 1997 graduate and received all-state recognition as a senior at quarterback. Brunson was later the offensive coordinator at Reitz from 2008-12 under coach Tony Lewis, notably when the Panthers won the Class 4A state championship in 2009.
Brunson also played basketball and remains the program’s third all-time leading scorer. He played at the University of Southern Indiana where he received his bachelor's degree before earning his master's at Indiana Wesleyan University.
The draw of coming home was too enticing. His family went to Reitz. Both his father and grandfather wore the Reitz helmet on Friday nights. Brunson remembers the atmosphere at Reitz Bowl and the tradition of the program. How could he forget?
"I was fortunate to have a lot of family members who grew up on the West Side and played for Reitz," said Brunson. "It's a program that has a lot of family backing. It's like Mater Dei, you hear a lot of names that are associated with Reitz football. It's a special place.
"When you go to a game and there are close to 10,000 people, it is a special experience and a special place to coach at."
Lewis has seen every side of Brunson. He was an assistant at Reitz during his playing days and later worked alongside him for years as his boss before leaving for Henderson County. Now the coach at Jasper, Lewis competed against Brunson when he was at Mount Vernon and will continue to do so next season. Jasper will join the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference at the end of this school year.
Lewis praised his former player's offensive mind and ability to build a program. Brunson's teams want to put pressure on the defense and give playmakers the ball in space. But knowing Brunson personally and his family's history with Reitz, Lewis understands the deeper meaning behind taking this job.
"It's a natural progression for him," said Lewis. "He is a Reitz guy through and through, he kind of bleeds blue and gray. I know how much it will mean to him to represent Reitz. He will take a lot of pride in trying to do a good job. People know the Brunson name on the West Side of Evansville."
Brunson has experienced success at each coaching stop of his career. He began his head coaching career at Harrison in 2013 and led the Warriors for four seasons. Brunson went 21-23 but his final two years were the program’s first winning seasons since 2004. It included a sectional championship in 2015.
He left Harrison to coach at Mount Vernon in 2017. The Wildcats went 12-18 in those three seasons but improved each year, posting their first back-to-back non-losing campaigns in a decade. Mount Vernon went 6-4 this past fall and finished second to Jasper in the Big Eight.
Brunson, who was also the assistant athletics director at Mount Vernon, was the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats from 2003-07.
"It's tough," he said about leaving the program. "I can't thank Mount Vernon enough. The community was amazing in those three years. In those three years, you heard and thought more about Mount Vernon football than maybe you had in the past. It was a great opportunity to go there and be the head coach at Mount Vernon."
Brunson takes over for Andy Hape, who resigned in January after seven seasons. He finished with a 56-23 record, guiding the Panthers to Class 4A sectional titles in 2014 and 2016. Hape cited his family and spending time with his children as reasons for the change.
Reitz went 3-7 this past fall for its first losing season in 21 years. It is one of the most successful programs in the state, becoming the second ever to reach 700 career victories. No coach since 1924 has posted a losing record during his tenure at Reitz.
"It's the second-winningest program in the state," said Brunson. "That says a lot right there."
Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.
Cory Brunson
Head coaching record
Year School Record
2013 Harrison 1-8
2014 Harrison 3-7
2015 Harrison 10-3*
2016 Harrison 7-5
2017 Mount Vernon 2-8
2018 Mount Vernon 5-5
2019 Mount Vernon 6-4
Career: 34-40, seven seasons
* - Won sectional
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