Matt Miller, the former high school football coach at McKeesport in Pennsylvania, claims that he did not resign. He was fired.
His statement is in direct contradiction to the decision of the school board.
This latest high school football drama stems from a local murder trial with ties to a cult-like church. It could get even more litigious as a result of the latest ouster.
McKeesport overhauled its high school football coaching staff.
McKeesport High School is one of the best football teams in the Keystone State over the last 10 years. The Tigers have not finished with less than eight wins in a single season since Matt Miller was hired as head coach in 2016. They reached the Class 4A state championship game at 9-4 last season. Their star running back is committed to Georgia.
However, as of this writing, Miller is not going to return as head coach in 2026.
The McKeesport Area school board announced on Wednesday that it had accepted his resignation and hired Tom Smith as his replacement. The meeting got heated. A shouting match broke out amongst members of the board and the community. School board president David Seropia called for an abrupt end.
School directors Diane Elias, Mark Holtzman, Matthew Holtzman, Kevin Kovach and Arla Payne voted to approve the district’s personnel report, which included the resignation of Miller. The vote passed 5-3 with one abstention.
As a result, McKeesport’s entire coaching staff from 2025 is out. It will undergo a complete overhaul. Smith, the brother of a two-time championship-winning coach at McKeesport, will take over as head coach of the varsity team. Troy Blackwell, Eric Smith, Derek Pavlovic, Ed Mantich, Khaleke Hudson and Juan Butler were appointed as his assistants.
The school board made this vote after a month of uncertainty. It was first reported at the beginning of June that McKeesport chose not to rehire Miller’s coaching staff, which led Miller to resign. And then Miller came out to say otherwise. He did not resign.
It all came down to the school board vote on Wednesday night. Miller and his staff are out.
The ruling stems from a murder trial involving a cult-like church.
Board member Matthew Holtzman was the loudest voice to call for Matt Miller and his entire coaching staff to resign. He shared the following letter on June 11:
His stance stems from a high-profile murder trial within the community. Isaac Smith was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder for the killing of Karli Short and her unborn child. Karli is the daughter of former NFL and Penn State football player Brandon Short. Brandon was born and raised in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. He lives there today.
Not long after the verdict was announced, Short revealed that two men, at least one being a former teammate, testified as a character witness on behalf of Smith. The two character witnesses were/are members of the Church of Life in Christ.
Short, among others, claim that the Church of Life in Christ acts like a cult and it was subject to a KDKA investigation in 2016. The congregation is led by the father of Matt Miller, the (now former) head coach of the Tigers.
The two character witnesses were also members of the high school football coaching staff at McKeesport. One was an assistant coach under Miller. The other served as the head of the team’s booster association.
Holtzman read a statement from Short at the school board meeting on Wednesday. It criticized a lack of leadership with McKeesport’s high school football program and criticized Miller for not addressing the issue and not offering condolences. Short also called for his resignation. Holtzman ultimately voted with Short.
Matt Miller claims he did not resign.
The McKeesport school board voted on Wednesday to accept the resignation of head football coach Matt Miller. Two of the board members who voted no indicated they did so based on legal advice. One abstained.
However, Matt Miller told TribLIVE that the vote does not make sense because he did not resign.
“I was very disappointed to hear the report last night that the school board had accepted my resignation, because I never submitted one. I did not submit my resignation on June 11, and I have not submitted my resignation at any time since then. Any representation that I have done so is false.”
Miller said that he met with McKeesport High School athletic director Adam Shaffer on June 11. He claims he was told that the district would select his assistant coaches and that Miller could resign.
“I was not given a reason for this decision. I was not told that I, or any of the assistant coaches, had done anything improper.”
Miller told Shaffer in that meeting that he would not sign a letter of resignation. He also says that he sent an email to Shaffer on Wednesday, prior to the school board meeting, to reiterate that he would not resign. And then the board voted to oust him.