Students stage walkout at Morgan Park High School over beloved football coach’s departure

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At 10 a.m. Tuesday, roughly 30 parents of Morgan Park High School students sat in their cars on the West Side of campus, waiting to support their children in a planned walkout.

By 10:15, they were outside talking to media about the protest — in response to an email from the school’s principal, citing a transition in the school’s football leadership team and the abrupt end to the 2026 season as of Monday.

Then, at 10:45 a.m., more than a hundred students streamed out of South Side school to the cheers and applause of their parents, who held signs supporting the school and opposing Principal Daniel Kuzma’s decision. Some of the students hugged their parents as they walked in unison, shouting, “Kuzma’s gotta go!” and “Bring back my CJ!” The parents chanted: “Let Them Play!”

The protest was on behalf of the school’s now-former head football coach, Chris “CJ” James. Kuzma’s email came out of the blue, several parents told the Tribune, blindsiding them, the athletes and other students as the team prepared for an upcoming bowl game.

For his part, James told the Chicago Sun-Times he was fired Monday for not “immediately” committing to coach at Morgan Park next school year. Kuzma shared his response with the Tribune, disputing James’ account.

“Coach James made a series of decisions that made his status as head coach no longer viable after the conclusion of Morgan Park’s state playoff run,” Kuzma said in the statement. “It is unfortunate that these decisions have had a significant impact on our student-athletes, families, and the school community.”

The Morgan Park Mustangs finished 9-2 this season, winning the Chicago Public League city championship game against Kenwood 24-14 on Oct. 17 and beating Oak Forest 40-16 in a Class 5A first-round game on Oct. 31 before falling 42-34 to Providence, last season’s state runner-up, in a second-round game Saturday.

The Mustangs were expected to play in the Prep Bowl playoffs, but the school’s administration withdrew after the coaching change.

Takiyah Thompson, mother of Travezz Jones, a senior on the varsity team, fought back tears at the protest. Her son, who is aiming to be the first in their family to go to college, is confused, angry and scared, she said.  James’ departure comes as Jones is vying for a spot on a college football team. The family hoped he’d have at least another chance to be seen by recruiters.

“CJ is the reason my son is here. If we don’t have CJ, what does my son have? He helped him see other opportunities,” Thompson said. “He (James) makes sure the boys are straight mentally, physically and emotionally. He helped him see he could go beyond this and y’all are taking that away? That’s not fair.”

James posted his own statement Tuesday morning on his Facebook account, saying Kuzma and the administration have done a great job at Morgan Park.

“Our vision for football did not align with the vision the administration has for the school and that was reiterated to me multiple times. After multiple attempts to press forward, the message of the direction of the school was received very clearly. The basketball, girls basketball, girls track coach and the previous athletic director resigned in accordance to that vision.”

James went on to thank the families for his nine years as head coach and said he doesn’t want to discuss his departure publicly. He took over as the head coach at Morgan Park, his alma mater, in 2018. He was 64-26 in nine seasons.

Jones’ uncle, Christopher Mathews, described the head coach as a positive Black man in his community who goes above and beyond for his players and students. “He’s done nothing but right and to be treated like this?” he said.

Laila Boyd, a sophomore and recent transfer to Morgan Park from Chicago Vocational School, walked out with her classmates. Still new to the landscape, she thought Kuzma was a good principal until this moment.

“I didn’t know the coach that well, but I know he did a lot of things for Morgan Park,” Boyd said.

Amy Bush agreed as she cheered on the protesting students. A Morgan Park High parent for four years, she said this was the first protest she’s seen. She staunchly stands with James.

When the single mother of two was without a car to drive her son, senior Daijon Overton, from his home in Woodlawn to school in Morgan Park, the coach stepped in for the right tackle, Bush said.

She was going to have to take her child out of Morgan Park when he was a sophomore so he could attend school closer to home. But James wanted to make sure Overton stayed the course.

“CJ took it upon himself to pick my baby up every morning. He didn’t miss a morning. Not just for practice. He got my baby for school. He made it to practice, and he made it home. As a single black mother, I felt like that was amazing for a man that didn’t have to do that. He got his own family. He got his own situation going on, but he came and he picked my baby up every morning. They’re very good coaches. They are for the boys. Period.”