Chippewa High School has made their selection on who will be the new varsity football head coach.
Ian Leja, who was last on the Chippewa varsity football staff in 2022, will step in for the Chipps. His hire is pending approval by the Chippewa Board of Education at their board meeting on March 9.
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Dan Edwards, Chippewa’s former head coach the past three seasons, resigned in December.
This will be Leja’s first head coaching position on the high school level.
New Chippewa football head coach Ian Leja.
“I wasn’t looking for a head coaching position. I took time away with my family to kind of recharge myself,” said Leja, who has served as an intervention specialist at Chippewa Junior-Senior High School for the last five years. “I wasn’t able to give myself to the program like it needed. After Christmas break, that’s when I sat down with my wife and we realized this was an opportunity I couldn’t say no to.”
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Said Chippewa Local Schools Superintendent Tim Adams in a press release, “Ian understands our students and our culture. As both an educator and a coach, he builds strong relationships and holds student-athletes to high standards. We are confident he will lead our football program with integrity and pride.”
Leja, 37, served as Chippewa’s defensive coordinator and coached running backs and the defensive line for five seasons (2018-2022) under then head coach, and current Chippewa Athletic Director, Mike Bohley. He was also the Chippewa Middle School football head coach in 2023 and 2024.
When asked about the biggest thing he learned from his time on the Chippewa varsity football staff and on the middle school level, Leja said, “Biggest thing I take away from anything is just making a connection with the kids. Their success is my success. Us putting in that work together gives me the fulfillment I want to go forward with.”
Chippewa went winless (0-10) in the 2025 season and the program hasn’t produced a winning record since the 2018 season (5-4).
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“I want us to work hard and compete,” Leja said on the identity he wants to instill in his football team. “I want to make them tougher and I want them to make me tougher. Whether that shows up anywhere, it’s gonna show up in our work ethic.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Chippewa selects Ian Leja as new head football coach
