Jon Kitna

Jon Kelly Kitna(born September 21, 1972) is an American former professionalfootballquarterbackwho played in theNational Football League(NFL) for theSeattle Seahawks,Cincinnati Bengals,Detroit Lions,andDallas Cowboys.He playedcollege footballfor theCentral Washington Wildcatsand was signed by the Seahawks as anundrafted free agentin 1996. He is currently the head football coach atLakota East High SchoolinOhio.

Jon Kitna

Lakota East High School
Position:	Head coach
Personal information
Born:	(1972-09-21)September 21, 1972 Tacoma, Washington,U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:	Lincoln(Tacoma, Washington)
College:	Central Washington(1991–1995)
Undrafted:	1996
Career history
As a player:
Seattle Seahawks(1996–2000) →Barcelona Dragons(1997) Cincinnati Bengals(2001–2005) Detroit Lions(2006–2008) Dallas Cowboys(2009–2011,2013)
As a coach:
Lincoln High School(2012–2014) Head coach Waxahachie High School(2015–2017) Head coach Brophy College Preparatory(2018) Head coach Dallas Cowboys (2019) Quarterbacks coach Burleson High School(2020–2022) Head coach Lakota East High School(2023–present) Head coach
Career highlights and awards
NFL Comeback Player of the Year(2003) PFWA NFL Comeback Player of the Year(2003) World Bowlchampion (1997) World BowlMVP (1997) NAIA national champion(1995) NAIAAll-American(1995) 3× All-Mount Rainier League (1993–1995)
Career NFL statistics
Pass attempts: 4,442 Pass completions: 2,677 Completion percentage: 60.3 TD–INT: 169–165 Passing yards: 29,745 Passer rating: 77.4 StatsatPro Football Reference

Early life

Kitna was born and raised inTacoma, Washington.He attended Concordia Lutheran School, before transferring toLincoln High Schoolafter his freshman season. Heletteredin football,basketball,andbaseball.

He enrolled atCentral Washington University.Hewalked onto the football team and was named the starter at quarterback as a true freshman overBeau Baldwin.He passed for 1,964 yards.

As a sophomore, he posted 3,241 yards. He had 6 touchdown passes againstPacific Lutheran University.As a junior, he registered 2,532 passing yards. He passed for 456 yards and 7 touchdowns againstPacific Lutheran University.

As a senior, he started 14 games, tallying 4,616 passing yards (NAIA Division II record) on 364-of-576 completions (63.1%), 42 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while leading the Wildcats to theNAIA Football National Championship.He surpassed 300 passing yards in 8 contests. He had 455 passing yards and 4 touchdowns againstWestern Washington University.He passed for 454 yards againstWhitworth University.

Kitna finished his college career with 43 games played, 911-of-1,550 completions (58.8%), 12,353 passing yards, 99 touchdowns and 59 interceptions. He set theNAIArecord for career total offense with 12,907 yards. He had 17 games with over 300 passing yards.

In 2006, he was inducted into the Central Washington University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2014, he was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Football Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

1996 season

See also:1996 Seattle Seahawks season

Believing that his football career was over after the NAIA championship, Kitna finished his math education degree at Central Washington and began applying for high-school coaching jobs.Seattle Seahawkshead coachDennis Ericksonvisited the campus to give a tryout for his nephew, Bryce Erickson, a receiver on the Central Washington team. Impressed by Kitna's strong passes, the Seahawks signed him as anundrafted free agenton April 25.

He was waived on August 19 and signed to thepractice squadon August 26, where he remained for the rest of the season.

1997 season

See also:1997 Seattle Seahawks season

Kitna was allocated to theBarcelona Dragonsof theWorld League of American Football.He appeared in 10 games, posting 171 completions (led the league), 317 pass attempts (led the league), a 53.9% average, 2,448 passing yards (led the league), 22 passing touchdowns (led the league), 15 interceptions. He set the league record for quarterbacks with 334 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.

He was the runner-up toT. J. Rubleyfor World League MVP honors and was named theMVPof the title game, when he led theBarcelona Dragonsto a 38–24World Bowl Vwin over theRhein Fire,completing 23-of-31 passes for 401 yards (league record), 2 touchdowns and one interception.

He returned to the Seahawks and was the third-string quarterback behindJohn FrieszandWarren Moon.On December 14, he had his first career start against theOakland Raidersafter Moon injured his ribs, leading the team to the second biggest comeback in franchise history, from a 21–3 halftime deficit to a 22–21 win. Moon returned to start in the season finale against theSan Francisco 49ers.Kitna played in 3 games, making 23-of-37 completions for 283 yards, one touchdown and 2 interceptions.

1998 season

See also:1998 Seattle Seahawks season

Kitna was the team's deactivated third-string quarterback in 10 of the first 11 games. He made the first start of the season and second of his career against theTennessee Oilersand earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, after passing for 298 yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception, while leading a fourth-quarter comeback for the deciding 48-yard field goal in a 20–18 win.

He completed 17-of-24 attempts in the next game against theNew York Jets,for 278 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 carries for 25 yards and 2 interceptions. He had a 70-yard touchdown pass toJoey Gallowayin the first quarter and followed it 3 minutes later with a second 57-yard touchdown pass to Galloway. He also rushed three times for 25 yards at the Jets.

In the fifteenth game against theIndianapolis Colts,he rallied the team to score 17 fourth quarter points in a 27–23 win, making 16-of-29 completions for 177 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions. He ended the season by passing for 242 yards, one touchdown and one interception against theeventual Super Bowl championDenver Broncos.

He was named the starting quarterback for the last 5 contests, leading the team to a 3–2 record. He finished with 98-of-172 completions (57.0%) for 1,177 yards, 7 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Five of his 7 touchdown passes went towide receiverJoey Galloway.

1999 season

See also:1999 Seattle Seahawks season

Kitna started 15 games for the Seahawks. He did not play in the second game against theChicago Bearsdue to a sprained toe he suffered in the season opener against theDetroit Lions.He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October, after guiding the club to a 3–1 record, while throwing for 7 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions.

He led the team to a 9–7 record (Kitna going 8–7 in games started), winning theAFC Westand into the playoffs for the first time since1988.Seattle would end up losing 20–17 in the wild card game against theMiami Dolphins.He posted 270-of-495 completions (54.5%) for 3,346 yards (fifth in the AFC), 23 touchdown passes (third in the AFC) and 16 interceptions.

2000 season

See also:2000 Seattle Seahawks season

In2000,Seahawks head coachMike Holmgrenwas concerned with Kitna's preseason performance and tried to work a trade forGreen Bay Packersbackup quarterbackMatt Hasselbeck,although it did not come through.

Kitna began the season with a four-interception performance against theMiami Dolphins,which opened the door for Holmgren to put second-year quarterbackBrock Huardin the game. Kitna started the next 4 contests, before being replaced by Huard in the sixth game against theCarolina Panthers.Huard suffered a concussion two games later in the second quarter against theOakland Raiders,which forced him to miss 3 games and put Kitna back in the starter role.

On November 5, down 15–14 on 3rd-and-16 with 1:28 left in the game, Kitna dodged a possible 17-yard sack bySan Diego Chargersdefensive endNeil Smithand made an 18-yard pass toDarrell Jackson.This pass set up the game-winning field goal byRian Lindell.

Huard returned as the starter in the thirteenth game against theDenver Broncos,but suffered a season-ending kidney injury in the first quarter. Kitna went on to start the last 4 contests. His last win for the Seahawks came on a rain-soakedHusky Stadiumturf in December of that year, beating theAFC Championship Game-bound Oakland Raiders on a touchdown pass to rookieDarrell Jacksonin the final minute of play.

The Seahawks were 6–6 in his 12 starts and 0–4 in the other games. He registered 259-of-418 completions (54.5%) for 2,658 yards, 18 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Holmgren chose not to re-sign Kitna after the season.

Cincinnati Bengals

2001 season

On March 8, he signed as anunrestricted free agentwith theCincinnati Bengals.He won the starting quarterback job in preseason overScott Mitchelland went on to start 15 games. He opened the regular season winning his first 2 starts, becoming the first Bengals quarterback sinceGreg Cookin 1969 to accomplish the feat.

In the sixteenth game overtime 26–23 win against thePittsburgh Steelers,he threw for a franchise-record 68 passes, tied for the third most in NFL history. He had 35 completions for 411 yards, 2 touchdowns and received AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

In the season finale against theTennessee Titans,he had 340 passing yards, setting a team record for passing yards in consecutive games with 751. He finished with 313 completions, 581 attempts (team record), a 53.9% average, 3,216 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.

2002 season

Although he was the backup quarterback behindGus Frerottefor the first 4 games, Kitna started the final 12 contests to help fix a struggling offense. He had 11 games (combined rushing and passing) of 300-or-more yards as well as six straight 350-yard games (Games 7–12), the franchise's longest such streak since 1986.

In the eighth game against theHouston Texans,he had 22-of-27 completions (81.5%) for 263 yards and 4 touchdowns. In the fifteenth game against theNew Orleans Saints,he led the offense on a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives to overcome a 7–13 deficit and get a 20–13 win. In the season, he collected 294-of-473 completions (62.2%) for 3,178 yards, 16 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 24 carries for 57 yards and 4 rushing touchdowns.

2003 season

Kitna played every offensive down and became the first player in franchise history to throw every one of the team's passes in a single-season. He threw 137 straight passes with no interceptions. In the twelfth game 34–27 win against theSan Diego Chargers,he tied his career high with four touchdown passes. In the thirteenth game against thePittsburgh Steelers,he led a 24–20 comeback win, making a game-winning 18-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining.

He was named theNFL Comeback Player of the Yearafter throwing for over 3,500 yards and 26 touchdown passes (second in the AFC) in leading the Bengals to an 8–8 record, the team's first non-losing season since 1996.

2004 season

Kitna's secondary role with the team was to prepare young quarterbackCarson Palmer(the Bengals' #1 draft pick in 2003). It was a role Kitna accepted gracefully. The two quarterbacks developed a close friendship off the field, particularly because both men are avidgolfers.

By 2004, Palmer was ready to take over the starting job, leading the Bengals to another 8–8 season. Kitna was the backup quarterback until seeing his first action of the season in the thirteenth game against theNew England Patriots,due to a season-ending knee injury to Palmer. He made 9-of-13 completions for 126 yards and one touchdown in a 28–35 loss.

In his first start of the season against theBuffalo Bills,he made 16-of-32 completions for 151 yards and one touchdown. He led the team to a 23–22 win against theNew York Giants,throwing a four-yard touchdown pass with 0:44 remaining, while also completing 20-of-32 passes for 186 yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception. In the season finale against thePhiladelphia Eagles,he completed 16-of-27 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown, winning 38–10 against the eventual NFC champions.

2005 season

Kitna entered his first game of the season during the fourth quarter against theDetroit Lionsand led the offense on a field goal drive. He played in the final offensive series against theBuffalo Billsand went 2-of-2 for 17 yards. He replaced Palmer in the second quarter of the season finale against theKansas City Chiefs,completing 13-of-24 passes for 76 yards and 2 interceptions in a 37–3 loss.

He was unexpectedly thrust back behind center during the Bengals' AFC Wild Card Playoff game against thePittsburgh Steelerson January 8,2006.Palmer went down with a left knee injury on his second play from scrimmage and Kitna stepped in off the bench and into a relief role. Kitna finished 24-of-40 for 197 yards, one touchdown and 2 interceptions and one fumble as the Bengals fell to the eventualSuper Bowl XLchampionPittsburgh Steelers31–17.

Detroit Lions

2006 season

On March 14, he signed with theDetroit Lionsas anunrestricted free agent,to compete withJosh McCownfor the quarterback position.Kitna was named the starter and became the first quarterback in franchise history to take every snap in a single-season.

He registered 372 completions (franchise record), 596 attempts (franchise record), 62.4 pass completion rate (second in franchise history), 4,208 passing yards (second in franchise history), 21 touchdowns (fourth in franchise history) and 22 interceptions. He also became the second quarterback in franchise history afterScott Mitchell,to pass for 4,000 yards in one season. His four 300-yard passing games were the fourth-most in the NFL.

2007 season

The Lions offense was ranked ninth in the league in passing, with Kitna starting all 16 games, while throwing for 4,068 yards, 18 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He set a single-game franchise record and a personal career-high with 442 passing yards against thePhiladelphia Eagles.He became the first quarterback in franchise history with back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons.

2008 season

Kitna suffered a back injury in the fourth game of the season and was placed on theinjured reserve liston October 14. The Lions became the first NFL team to finish a season with no wins and 16 losses.

He passedCharlie Batchfor the eighth place on Detroit's all-time passing list with 9,034 yards.He finished with 68-of-120 (56.7%) for 758 yards and 5 touchdowns.

On February 28,2009,he was traded to theDallas Cowboysin exchange forcornerbackAnthony Henry.

Dallas Cowboys

In2009,the Cowboys acquired Kitna to improve their backup quarterback situation, afterBrad Johnsonhad a 1–2 record, including a 35–14 loss against theNew York GiantswhenTony Romowas injured during the previous season. Kitna did not play a single down for the Cowboys in theregular season.

In2010,Kitna remained idle until October 25, when Romo suffered a brokenclavicleagainst theNew York Giantsand was later placed on theinjured reserve liston December 21.Kitna ended up suffering an abdominal injury against theArizona CardinalsonChristmas Day,and was replaced with second-year quarterbackStephen McGeefor the rest of the season. Kitna played well in relief of Romo throwing for 2,365 yards, 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in the 9 games he started, compiling a 4–5 record and a career-high 88.9 passer rating in the process.

In2011,he suffered a herniated disk problem in training camp that limited him to only 3 games. In his last action, he took the last snap on a 44–7 victory over theBuffalo Billson November 13. He couldn't play the rest of the season because his back condition never improved. He was placed on theinjured reserve liston December 14.McGee was promoted to backup quarterback in his place. The injury forced him to announce his retirement from theNFLon January 12,2012.

On Christmas Eve,2013,Kitna was called out of retirement to serve as an emergency back-up behind quarterbackKyle Orton,for the season finale against thePhiladelphia Eagles,following a back injury to Romo.He donated his game salary ($55,294 before taxes) to theLincoln High SchoolBooster Club.

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games			Passing									Rushing					Sacks		Fumbles
		GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Sck	SckY	Fum	Lost
1997	SEA	3	1	1–0	31	45	68.9	371	8.2	61	1	2	82.7	10	9	0.9	8	1	3	10	1	0
1998	SEA	6	5	3–2	98	172	57.0	1,177	6.8	70	7	8	72.3	20	67	3.4	21	1	11	72	5	1
1999	SEA	15	15	8–7	270	495	54.5	3,346	6.8	51	23	16	77.7	35	56	1.6	10	0	32	198	7	1
2000	SEA	15	12	6–6	259	418	62.0	2,658	6.4	71	18	19	75.6	48	127	2.6	13	1	33	166	11	3
2001	CIN	16	15	6–9	313	581	53.9	3,216	5.5	49	12	22	61.1	27	73	2.7	20	1	25	185	6	2
2002	CIN	14	12	2–10	294	473	62.2	3,178	6.7	72	16	16	79.1	24	57	2.4	12	4	24	159	1	1
2003	CIN	16	16	8–8	324	520	62.3	3,591	6.9	82	26	15	87.4	38	113	3.0	15	0	37	249	1	0
2004	CIN	4	3	2–1	61	104	58.7	623	6.0	30	5	4	75.9	10	42	4.2	15	0	6	41	1	1
2005	CIN	3	0	–	17	29	58.6	99	3.4	16	0	2	36.4	2	14	7.0	11	0	2	10	0	0
2006	DET	16	16	3–13	372	596	62.4	4,208	7.1	60	21	22	79.9	34	156	4.6	18	2	63	388	3	2
2007	DET	16	16	7–9	355	561	63.3	4,068	7.3	91	18	20	80.9	25	63	2.5	11	0	51	320	4	1
2008	DET	4	4	0–4	68	120	56.7	758	6.3	47	5	5	72.2	6	34	5.7	10	0	15	89	1	0
2009	DAL	0	0	–	DNP
2010	DAL	10	9	4–5	209	318	65.7	2,365	7.4	71	16	12	88.9	31	147	4.7	29	1	21	100	2	0
2011	DAL	3	0	–	6	10	60.0	87	8.7	33	1	2	82.1	3	-2	-0.7	0	0	0	0	0	0
2013	DAL	0	0	–	DNP
Career		141	124	50–74	2,677	4,442	60.3	29,745	6.7	91	169	165	77.4	313	956	3.1	29	11	323	1,987	43	12

Postseason

Year	Team	Games			Passing									Rushing					Sacks		Fumbles
		GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Sck	SckY	Fum	Lost
1999	SEA	1	1	0-1	14	30	46.7	162	5.4	22	1	2	46.8	1	1	1.0	1	0	6	32	0	0
2005	CIN	1	0	–	24	40	60.0	197	4.9	24	1	2	60.1	4	25	6.3	12	0	4	20	0	0
2009	DAL	0	0	–	DNP
Career		2	1	0–1	38	70	54.3	359	5.1	24	2	4	54.4	5	26	5.2	12	0	10	52	0	0

Coaching career

From 2012 to 2014, Kitna was a math teacher and head football coach at alma mater,Lincoln High School.As coach he led the team to a 5–5 record in the 2012 season.Lincoln improved to 8–2 in 2013 and 11–1 in 2014.Lincoln shared theWashington Interscholastic Activities Association(WIAA) District 3A Narrows regular season championship in 2013, with a 5–1 conference record tied withLacey Timberline.In 2014, Lincoln went 7–0 in conference play and won the outright regular season championship.

In January 2015, he resigned from Lincoln and accepted the head coaching job atWaxahachie High SchoolinWaxahachie, Texas,south ofDallas.

In February 2018, Kitna was hired atBrophy College Preparatory,an all-men Jesuit high school inPhoenix, Arizona.He guided the football team to a 7–4 record and a state appearance.

In June 2018, he was named the offensive coordinator for theSan Diego Fleetof theAlliance of American Football,which began play in 2019.However, he did not coach a game for the Fleet as he joined the Dallas Cowboys staff in January to become their quarterbacks coach and work withDak Prescott.In 2020, he was not retained by new Cowboys head coachMike McCarthy.

In March 2020, Kitna was hired as the football head coach and athletic coordinator atBurleson High SchoolinBurleson, Texas. He would coach there until the 2022 season.

In February 2023, Kitna was hired as the head football coach and dean of students atLakota East High SchoolinLiberty Township, Ohio.

Head coaching record

Team	Year	Overall					Postseason
		Won	Lost	Ties	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
Tacoma (WA) Lincoln	2012	5	6	0	.454	4th in WA 3A Narrows	0	1	.000	Lost toBellevue (WA)in 3A First Round.
Tacoma (WA) Lincoln	2013	8	3	0	.727	T-1st in WA 3A Narrows	0	1	.000	Lost toSammamish (WA) Eastside Catholicin 3A First Round.
Tacoma (WA) Lincoln	2014	11	1	0	.917	1st in WA 3A Narrows	2	1	.667	Lost toSammamish (WA) Eastside Catholicin 3A Quarterfinals.
Tacoma (WA) Lincoln total		24	10	0	.705		2	3	.400
Waxahachie (TX)	2015	6	4	0	.600	5th out of 8 in TX 5A Region II District 14	0	0	.000	Did not qualify.
Waxahachie (TX)	2016	6	4	0	.600	5th out of 8 in TX 5A Region II District 10	0	0	.000	Did not qualify.
Waxahachie (TX)	2017	8	5	0	.615	4th out of 8 in TX 5A Region II District 10	2	1	.667	Lost toLone Star (Frisco, TX)in 5A-D2 Region II Regional Finals.
Waxahachie (TX) total		20	13	0	.606		2	1	.667
Brophy College Preparatory(AZ)	2018	7	4	0	.636	3rd out of 5 in AZ 6A Premier Section	0	1	.000	Lost toMountain Pointe (AZ)in Conference 6A First Round.
Brophy College Preparatory (AZ) total		7	4	0	.636		0	1	.000
Burleson (TX)	2020	6	4	0	.600	2nd out of 4 in TX 5A-2 Region II District 5 Zone B	0	0	.000	Did not qualify.
Burleson(TX)	2021	8	4	0	.667	3rd out of 8 in TX 5A-2 Region II District 5	1	1	.500	Lost toLovejoy (Lucas, TX)in 5A-D2 Region II Area Round
Burleson (TX)	2022	3	7	0	.300	5th out of 8 in TX 5A-2 Region II District 5	0	0	.000	Did not qualify.
Burleson (TX) total		17	15	0	.531		1	1	.500
Lakota East (OH)	2023	1	9	0	.100	8th out of 8 in Greater Miami Conference	0	0	.000
Career total		69	51	0	.575		5	6	.454

Personal life

Kitna became aChristianwhile attending Central Washington University.His parents, who had previously been non-religious, later became Christians as well.Kitna has four children with his wife.His son Jalen was a quarterback atFlorida,but was dismissed from the team in December 2022 after being arrested on child pornography charges. The charges were later reduced to a misdemeanor after investigation, and he was able to re-enroll in classes.Jalen has since committed to play for theUAB Blazersfor the 2024 season.

External links

• Dallas Cowboys profile
• FootballDB NFL and NFL Europe stats for Kitna