GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kenowa Hills Public Schools has hired Don Fellows as the Head Varsity Football Coach to begin the 2024-25 season.
Fellows was arrested in September after allegedly driving while intoxicated and hitting a pedestrian who was trying to get him to stop in North Muskegon.
He was suspended from his position at Grand Rapids Public Schools as the Union High School head football coach and fired after an internal investigation was completed in October.
Fellows was charged with failure to stop at the scene of a personal injury accident, operating while intoxicated and failure to stop after a collision charges.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges in October.
In December, he pleaded guilty to two charges, those being operating his vehicle with a BAC of .17 or more and failure to stop after a collision. In doing so, he avoided jail time.
The charges of operating while intoxicated, failing to stop at the scene of a personal injury accident and refusing to give a preliminary breath test were dropped.
When Fellows joined Union's football program in 2020, the Red Hawks had lost 43 straight games and hadn't won since 2015.
In total, Fellows has 28 years of experience as a football coach, with 18 of those years as the head of a football program.
“We are excited to build on the foundation that has been established for our football program,” said KHPS Superintendent Gerald Hopkins. “Our interview committee made up of high school teachers and administrators, coaches, and community members reviewed a pool of over a dozen qualified candidates."
KHPS acknowledged Fellows' suspension and firing at Union High School, saying:
"Fellows pleaded guilty to charges connected to driving under the influence. Fellows has taken responsibility for his actions, has been proactive in ongoing efforts to make good of this situation, and sees this as one of many lessons that he can share with members of the community and the Knights of Kenowa Hills."
Fellows said he's excited to get to know the Knights community and football program and said they'll be getting a coach with a "renewed passion and commitment to team, football and community."
“I am grateful to the Kenowa Hills hiring committee for not just looking at my recent mistakes," Fellows said. "They allowed me the opportunity to own up to them and sincerely show that with ownership and personal responsibility, along with support and guidance from others, challenges and mistakes can be overcome."
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