For David Proffitt, becoming Lake Zurich High School’s head football coach was never on his radar.

“I was perfectly satisfied in what I was doing,” said Proffitt, a member of the high school’s physical education department and the football team’s defensive coordinator for the past six years. Proffitt said he and outgoing coach Bryan Stortz have a great relationship.

“He gave me freedom and flexibility,” said Proffitt. “To be the guy in charge was never on my mind.”

Proffitt will be the guy in charge. Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 announced Wednesday that it has named Proffitt the new head football coach. 

“I am confident that Dave will continue with the many traditions he helped build in his last six years of coaching here at Lake Zurich High School,” said athletic director Rolly Vazquez. “His experience as an educator and coach will definitely be beneficial to our student athletes.”

Proffitt has 25 years of experience coaching high school football, serving as a head coach for 11 of those years. In his six years at Lake Zurich, Proffitt has helped lead the team to two semifinals, two runners-up titles and one championship title in the Illinois High School Association Class 7A state playoffs.

Proffitt is humble about being named the team’s head coach.

“I don’t even look at it as a transition. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing,” he said. “The program still is the players.”

Proffitt said the team still will live by its motto: WAR, or “We Are Relentless.” The Lake Zurich football program, he added, aims not only to help its players get better on the field, but also to help the players become better people.

“We try to take a young man that is competitive by nature and put him in positions so he’ll be successful,” said Proffitt. 

He spoke highly of players’ parents and the loyal community at-large, all of whom bring support and spirit to the team. 

“That really is very important,” said Proffitt. “The young men see that.”