Correspondent file photo / Robert Hayes Warren G. Harding coach Steve Arnold speaks to his team during a preseason practice in July 2022. Arnold stepped down from his position Tuesday.

WARREN — Warren G. Harding head football coach Steve Arnold and district athletic director Bill Nicholson are stepping down from their positions to transition into different roles at Warren City Schools, effective immediately.

The announcement was made at the board of education meeting Tuesday.

Arnold, who began his coaching career at Harding as an assistant with the football team in 1988, will be working with the district’s new Student Recreation and Wellness Center focusing on student usage and integration for both academic and athletic purposes.

Arnold made his impact felt throughout multiple sports.

In 2002, he was named the head coach of Harding’s varsity boys basketball team. In his decade coaching basketball, Arnold led the Raiders to three district championships, one regional championship, and he led the team to the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I state semifinals in 2009.

Arnold was named head football coach in 2011. On the gridiron, Arnold led Harding to the OHSAA postseason eight times, including the Division II regional finals in 2016. He finishes with a career record of 69-60.

Arnold has guided several student athletes to college scholarship opportunities with several players advancing to the National Football League.

Arnold was inducted into the Warren Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Warren City Schools Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame in 2017. He graduated from Harding High School in 1982.

“I’ve been truly blessed to be coaching 36 years,” Arnold said. “With the exception of one year at Hubbard High School, I was here in Warren City Schools for 35 years.”

Nicholson has worked for the district for 28 years. He previously served as the 3-5 principal at Willard PK-8 School, and he was named athletic director in 2014. He is a 1979 graduate of Warren Western Reserve High School.

Nicholson will continue to work with the district under the direction of John Lacy, director of business operations, and Dante Capers, Associate Superintendent of Student Services, Student Wellness and Success.

“After doing the job, yeah, it’s a lot of hours, but you know what, the benefits from it, all the kids I’ve gotten to meet, all the great coaches I’ve gotten to work with, kids I would’ve never gotten to meet in the role of an assistant principal or lead principal, it’s been a great run,” Nicholson said.

District superintendent Steve Chiaro expressed his gratitude for both Arnold and Nicholson.

“Our kids have been blessed for years to have the service of you both and the work that you’ve done,” Chiaro said.

The district is beginning its search for successors immediately.

Chiaro said the head football coach and athletic director jobs will be posted Wednesday. He said the posting will be out for a couple weeks.

“We’ll try to cast a large net,” Chiaro said. “We know it’s the holidays, we’ll cast a large net into the first of the year, look to see who’s interested, and then we’ll decide what we’re going to do. Nothing is going to be happening right this minute.”

Chiaro expects the head coach position to be filled sooner than the athletic director as offseason conditioning and strength programs will be starting soon.

Nicholson will continue his duties as athletic director until the district hires a replacement.

“Bill is going to continue doing his job,” Chiaro said. “We have winter sports, we might see him through spring sports. If we pick someone within the district, we might be able to do a quicker transition. If we pick someone outside of the district, we might not be able to see them until June or July. We want to have a plan and not piecemeal things. We want to be comprehensive.”

mcole@tribtoday.com