Monday May 29, 2023
Former Bengals Quarterback Jon Kitna - One-on-One In The Trenches with Dave Lapham
Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna proved during his football career to be a winner and a leader.
After playing three sports at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington, Kitna walked on at Central Washington University (NAIA), earning the starting quarterback job as a true freshman.
Kitna proved he was no fluke leading Central Washington to the NAIA Football National Championship his senior year.
After earning a math education degree, Kitna was prepared to teach and coach at the high school level. But, instead, Dennis Erickson saw something in Kitna, signing him to the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1996.
After being waived and signed to the Seahawks practice squad, Kitna was allocated to the World League of American Football and the Barcelona Dragons. It was here that Kitna showed he had the makings to play in the NFL and would play in the league with the Seahawks, Bengals, Detroit Lions, and Dallas Cowboys.
However, after finishing his pro career, Kitna started the job he thought was his future all along, becoming a high school coach, the position he holds today as the new head coach at Liberty Township (Ohio) Lakota East High School, where he'll coach his youngest son, Jamison Kitna, a Class of 2025 quarterback prospect who already holds double-digit offers from the likes of Baylor, Duke, West Virginia, Pittsburgh and more.
Kitna joined In The Trenches with Dave Lapham, presented by First Star Logistics, to discuss his career, including what may surprise many as his most significant achievement in the game, and respect he has for former teammate Carson Palmer and what he's seen so far from current Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.