Jefferson names new football coach on first day of practice

Rockford Jefferson football players are scheduled to have their first practice today at 4 p.m. and now they know who their head coach will be.

Rockford Public Schools announced at noon that last season's offensive coordinator, Tony Ambrogio, will take over as head coach for this season.

Ambrogio is replacing Ken Dubose, who was let go abruptly on Aug. 2 after two seasons at Jefferson. Dubose went 4-14, but the J-Hawks improved to 4-5 last season after going 0-9 for three straight years.

Last season was Ambrogio's first at Jefferson. He joined the J-Hawks after leading Rockford Christian Life to a 26-14 record over four years, including three playoff appearances in Class 1A and 2A.

Jefferson hasn't qualified for the football playoffs since 1994.