By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
For the last 12 years, the name Chris Steiner has been synonymous with Central Plains High School football. On Monday, the first and only coach of the Oiler program announced he was stepping down from his coaching roles at the school. The move stems from a USD 112 Board of Education special meeting on May 15. The board voted to keep Steiner on as head coach but did not renew his son, Bryce Steiner's, contract as assistant coach. Chris took a week to mull his future over with family.
"I just want to really thank all the people that came out and showed Bryce and I so much support," he said. "All my past players, parents, opposing coaches, even opposing players from other teams. It was very humbling to hear all the things, the posts on Facebook. We had almost 100 people in the room the night of the special board meeting."
Central Plains played its first football season in 2011. The Oilers went 9-2 and won a district title in that inaugural year. The Oilers won at least nine games in seven of Steiner's 12 years coaching the program. Steiner won seven district titles, and his 2014 and 2018 squads went undefeated as state champions. He ends his tenure with a 91-34 record.
"It's hard to leave it," he said. "It feels like I lost a part of me. I kind of felt like I was backed into a corner and this is what I had to do to stay true to how I do things and stay true to the people that support me. I know a lot of people think it's because it's my own son, but I would have done it for any assistant coach."
Steiner also formed the first formal powerlifting squad at the school, and Central Plains hosted the state championships. The Lady Oilers won six state titles and finished second three times since 2013. The Oiler boys won four state titles and a runner-up in that stretch.
"That came from Quivira Heights," Steiner said. "They had done such a great job with that and hosted the state meet forever. We now host the state meet every year that has 400-500 kids."
All along, Steiner has treated his coaching duties like a family affair. That factored into Monday's decision.
"As much as it felt like a family to me, I had to take care of my own family, too," he said. "They've always been a huge part of me coaching for the last 18 years. All the way back to Bryce being my ball boy when he was a little kid; my girls cutting up play cards for me and drawing up plays for me."