John Bayuk, head coach of Struthers Wildcats, stepped down to focus on his family. He coached Struthers for five years and coached Campbell Memorial for five before that. He won two awards during the time that he was coaching Struthers.
He has two kids. One two-year-old boy named Liam and a daughter named Sophia who is three months old. She was born while football season was still going on, so Bayuk had to balance the two.
To him, family comes first.
“We always say in the locker room that family is first. This is a time that my family needs me more than the team does,” says the father.
Struthers Wildcats made it to the playoffs four out of the five times while Bayuk was coaching. The farthest that they made it was week 14 which were regional finals in 2023.
Bayuk loved everything about football.
“I love competing and watching the kids get better,” says the former coach.
His last game was on November 8, 2024. It was their second playoff game in Perry that the Cats lost 0-3. Even though they lost, Bayuk was still very proud of how well the team did throughout the season.
Bayuk enjoyed every moment as head coach.
“We had fun and made memories that will last a lifetime,” says Bayuk.
