Iowa high school football: Iowa City High hires Des Moines Roosevelt's Mitchell Moore as new head coach

IOWA CITY, Ia. — The search for Iowa City High's next football coach has ended roughly 120 miles from the Little Hawk campus.

Des Moines Roosevelt's Mitchell Moore will take over City High football, the school announced Sunday, pending board approval. Moore takes over for the legendary Dan Sabers, who spent 40 years in the Little Hawks program and the last 20 as head coach. Sabers stepped down late last month.

Moore heads to Iowa City after two seasons as Roosevelt's head coach (2019-20), following two years at Greene County (2017-18). Moore also has experience in the collegiate ranks, having worked under both Paul Rhoads and Matt Campbell at Iowa State, primarily as a recruiter and a director of high school relations.   

After Campbell’s first year in 2016, Moore left for Greene County, where he guided the Rams to a 9-10 overall record in two seasons. In his first year leading the Roughriders, Moore guided Roosevelt to just its third winning campaign in the last 14 years and first playoff appearance since 1996.

He had Roosevelt at 1-1, coming off a 62-10 drubbing of Des Moines East before Des Moines Public Schools had to implement an athletic pause following the decision to go 100% online-only amid the coronavirus pandemic. Controversy surrounding the situation lingered throughout the high school football season.

Now, Moore gets the keys to a City High program loaded with tradition — but in need of rejuvenation. After reaching the Class 4A quarterfinals in 2016, the Little Hawks have won only two games each of the last four seasons. The Little Hawks beat Ottumwa to start the 2020 playoffs before suffering a second blowout loss to Iowa City West in the second round.

There's no doubt, though, that City can return among the state's elite. Sabers proved that by winning the 2009 state title — the last eastern Iowa school to do so in 4A — and racking up more than 40 playoff victories in Little Hawk red. Moore now gets the opportunity for glory restoration.

Dargan Southard covers Iowa and UNI athletics, recruiting and preps for the Des Moines Register, HawkCentral.com and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.