Streamwood tabs Guindon to lead football program

Streamwood didn't look far to fill its football coaching vacancy.

Don Guindon, a 2007 Streamwood graduate, was confirmed this week as the school's new coach by the Elgin Area School District U-46 board of education.

Guindon, 25, played wide receiver for the Sabres, the same position he went on to play at Beloit College. He joined the Streamwood coaching staff right out of school three years ago under then-coach Cal Cummins, whose first year as coach coincided with Guindon's senior year.

"I'm excited," Guindon said Friday. "I'm excited because I graduated from here and I'm excited because I've been with this group of seniors for a couple of years and I'm anxious to see what they can do. They have high expectations for themselves but they'll have to earn it."

Guindon replaces Mark Orszula, who stepped aside after two seasons when he was hired as the school's athletic director. He led the Sabres to a 3-6 record in 2014 after a 1-8 finish in 2013.

"The fact that Don is a Streamwood graduate was a huge thing," said Orszula, who met all candidates as part of the search committee and later met with the finalists one-on-one. "I think it's important to have a guy that played for the program and returned as an assistant. He already knows the players and quite a bit of the staff, which is a positive. I expect him to continue to build the football program and move it forward. He'll do fantastic."

Guindon is substitute teacher who does not yet have a full-time teaching position in the building. In addition to three seasons as a Streamwood football assistant coach, he has spent three seasons as an assistant coach for the school's boys basketball program and assisted this spring with the boys track team.

The new coach said fans should expect some passing - "I was a wide receiver so I don't mind throwing the ball," he said - but he understands the need for balance.

"We have to establish the run and establish ourselves on both sides of the line of scrimmage because that's where the game is won and lost," Guindon said. "I want to continue what Cal started when I was here and continue what Mark got done with the weight room and reaching out to the youth programs. As an alum, I want to build the Streamwood football community."