by Jeff Fisher
The Manatee Hurricanes have gone outside the current staff, but not outside the program, to find a replacement for the legendary Joe Kinnan, who has taken a medical leave of absense for the 2014-15 school year.
The Bradenton Herald reports that Manatee alum and former quarterback John Booth, who has spent the last five seasons at Bloomingdale, reportedly beat out six candidates, including four assistants for the job. Booth, who was Kinnan’s quarterback for four years before graduating in 2000, was 16-34 in five years at Bloomingdale.
Kinnan won 290 games and five state titles with the Hurricanes. His lifetime record is 290-71.
While Kinnan’s leave is only for this year, the hiring of the much young Booth may indicate that Kinnan’s leave could turn into a retirement.