CHERRY TWP — Jerry Day is leaving the military and returning to his roots.

Day, 51, was the starting tailback for Moniteau’s football team as a sophomore. He coached junior high and freshman basketball there years ago.

He was approved as Moniteau’s new varsity boys basketball coach by unanimous vote at the district’s school board meeting Monday night.

“Coaching isn’t about the money at this level,” Day said. “For me, this is about giving back to a high school.

“Sports have always been my passion. The advantage I will have here is I can totally commit to this program and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Day lives in Tampa. Fla., right now, but will soon be returning to Butler. He is retiring from the U.S. Army in a few weeks, ending a 33-year career in the military. He is an Iraqi Freedom veteran and has served in Japan, Kuwait and Germany, among other places.

“I’ve been all over the world,” he said. “Home is where I want to be now.”

Day replaces Jerrod Markle, who coached the Warrior boys varsity for three seasons. Moniteau is coming off a 6-16 season.

Moniteau athletic director John Stoughton said Day was one of five applicants for the position. This will be his first varsity head coaching position.

“Jerry has a long history in coaching and in sports. We believe he’s the best fit for our kids,” Stoughton said.

Day attended Moniteau his freshman and sophomore years before going to A-C Valley the next two years. He is a 1993 A-C Valley graduate and still holds the 100-meter record time there in track at 11.2 seconds.

His daughter is former Butler girls basketball point guard Lyndsy Day. He coached AAU girls basketball with the Butler Cubs for 12 years and officiated high school volleyball for 15 years. Day was also a varsity boys assistant basketball coach for four years at Ford City.

Former Moniteau varsity girls basketball coach Mark Yeager will be one of Day’s assistant coaches. He has yet to name his junior varsity coach.

“Mark and I coached junior high basketball together at Moniteau in the early 1990s,” Day said. “We’ve always had great chemistry together. We both attended Moniteau and we work well as a tandem.

“When I got this job, he was the first person I called.”

Day pointed out that “Dick Hartung and George Abraham were my mentors growing up. I learned so much from those guys.”

Abraham is a former Butler boys basketball coach and Hartung still coaches at Butler County Community College.

Day’s coaching philosophy is a simple one.

“Work hard and play harder than anybody else,” he said. “My goal has always been to retire early and focus on a passion of mine.

“I will commit to this job 100 percent. I’ll be paying close attention to the elementary and junior high programs as well. I’ll have plenty of time to do that.”