Jack O’Rourke, former player and head football coach at Blanchester High School, will be the new offensive line coach at Little Miami High School.

O’Rourke was hired by new Panther head coach Nathan Mahon, formerly head coach at Northwest High School in the Southwest Ohio Conference. Mahon took over the position from Ben Hubbard, also a former head coach at Blanchester High School.

A 1976 graduate of Blanchester High School, O’Rourke was the head coach of the Wildcats for seven seasons, stepping down this winter following the 2015 season.

As a player, O’Rourke was one of the best in BHS history. He quarterbacked the Wildcats in the 1970s while his father Jack O’Rourke Sr. was the head coach. Blanchester went 6-3-1, 8-1-1 and 10-0 during O’Rourke’s sophomore, junior and senior years as quarterback.

O’Rourke said assistant coaches for Mahon “knew that I knew some of the stuff they were doing.” So O’Rourke met with Mahon one afternoon last week and was offered the job that night.

“I never really wanted to completely quit coaching,” O’Rourke said. “And I’ve been wanting to step back a little the last couple years.”

O’Rourke will still teach at Blanchester and this spring will help head coach Tony Blevins with the boys and girls track and field program.

“I’m just tickled pink to be back coaching football,” he said.