Former Cary-Grove defensive coordinator Matt Furlong gets his shot as Geneseo’s head coach

Leaving one of the state’s best football programs was no easy decision for Matt Furlong.

Furlong has been an assistant coach at Cary-Grove for 19 seasons and defensive coordinator for the past six years. The Trojans appeared in six state championship games and won four titles in that span.

In three of the past five IHSA seasons with playoffs, C-G won the Class 6A state championship.

Still, the lure of a head coaching position, closer to where he grew up, was strong. Furlong, 42, was announced as Geneseo’s head football coach Monday, pending approval at Thursday’s Board of Education meeting.

“That (success has) been the most difficult part of this decision for sure,” Furlong said. “I came here out of college and have been here since. I came up through the ranks with Brad (Seaburg) and learned from Bruce (Kay) and Don (Sutherland). Without a doubt it was a very difficult decision. The last five days or so have not been the easiest, making calls and talking to people. An emotional rollercoaster for sure.”

Furlong grew up in the Quad Cities and played at Davenport Assumption, then at NCAA Division III powerhouse Augustana. His father John is the former coach at NAIA St. Ambrose in Davenport.

John Furlong later coached at Augustana with Bob Reade, who built Geneseo into a state powerhouse in the 1960s. Reade’s teams won three state titles in the 1970s; the Maple Leafs won another in 1982 under Larry Johnsen Sr., who also was on Reade’s staff when John Furlong was at Augustana.

Reade started at Geneseo in 1962 and was followed by Larry Johnsen Sr., Vic Bobblett, Denny Diericx and Larry Johnsen Jr., making Furlong only the Leafs’ sixth coach in 62 years.

“(Geneseo) has a lot of tradition and history and great community support and great football tradition,” Furlong said. “As I went through the process it really reminded me of Cary-Grove in so many ways, the community support, the history of the program, the commitment to the program from administration. As I went through it, there were a lot of similarities.

“When the Geneseo role opened up, between the football program, the community and the schools, it just made sense from both a family and professional perspective.”

Furlong and his wife Monica have a daughter Makenzy and a son Bryant.

Seaburg appreciates what Furlong brought as the Trojans’ defensive coordinator.

“(Furlong) definitely is ready to be a head coach. It’s a great opportunity for him,” Seaburg said. “They love football, they want to win, have great facilities.

“Matt works with all the coaches on our staff very well. From my standpoint, he and I were always on the same page when it came to knowing where our personnel fit on our team, offense and defense. Matt also was very creative in coming up with ways to stop the complex offenses we see in our conference and also in the playoffs.”

Furlong joined C-G’s staff in 2005, one year after the Trojans made their first appearance in a state final. C-G lost to Libertyville 13-3 for the 2004 Class 7A state title.

Furlong said he learned a lot, particularly from Kay, who coached from 1989 to 2010, Seaburg and Sutherland, who was defensive coordinator before him.

Furlong will teach history and driver education at Geneseo, which has made the playoffs 23 times since 1995.

“Everyone was so welcoming,” Furlong said. “Family and community were both emphasized. It was clear that Geneseo is more than just a football program or school, it’s about a feeling of belonging and having that togetherness. Those values aligned with my own, so it was a big draw for me.”