Miklo to fill head basketball position at Fairfield

The two big coaching openings within the Fairfield athletic department have now been cut to one.

As reported in Tuesday?s Ledger, the Fairfield Community School District Board of Directors has approved the hiring of Tyler Miklo as the head boys? basketball coach, which was vacated by Jeff Ebling?s resignation last month.

Miklo will also take over the open social studies teacher position at FHS beginning this fall. He was one of more than 30 candidates to apply for the coaching vacancy and one of five that interviewed with Fairfield Activities Director Bret Moews.

?He was a very impressive, energetic young man in the time I?ve had to talk with him,? said Moews. ?He has a good basketball background, a good social studies background and appears to be a good fit for Fairfield.?

Miklo, a 2005 graduate of the University of Iowa, has spent the last four years as a teacher and coach at his high school alma mater ? Fort Dodge St. Edmond. In Fort Dodge, Miklo has been a part of an impressive run for St. Edmond athletics that has seen the basketball program take two trips to the state tournament (2008, 2009); all while compiling an 85-15 record in his four years as the varsity assistant coach.

But that success is now in his rear-view mirror as he heads to Fairfield for ?an opportunity he couldn?t pass up.?

?I?ve been chasing a head coaching job for a few years, and I?ve heard enough good things about the area that it?s somewhere I wanted to be,? he said.

Miklo was also a member of the 1999-2000 St. Edmond squad that won the Class 2A state championship. He now will step in to head the Trojan program that has won just 11 games in the past two seasons.

?I?ve been very fortunate to be a part of good program, but it?s been a dream of mine to have one of my own,? Miklo said. ?It?s going to take a lot of time and effort, but it?s something I?m more than willing to do to build a program.?

Miklo already has plans to begin putting forth that time and effort in Fairfield as soon as his contract with St. Edmond is up. Following the conclusion of the school year, Miklo will begin what he calls the ?extra effort camp? that will have the gym open four days a week for basketball players of all ages. In addition, there will be a weeklong camp beginning the final days of June.

?We?re going to try to get kids as young as third grade in the gym as much as possible,? he said. ?I want the town to be excited about basketball and really ready to go come November.?

While basketball is Miklo?s self-described forte, he also has experience as an assistant football and head girls? golf coach, and coming to Fairfield certainly hasn?t closed the door on pursuing other coaching avenues at FHS. One of those possibilities may include a position with the football program that is currently without a head coach following Mike Schenck?s retirement and may see a shake up in the cast of assistant coaches.

?I know there?s some other openings, and that?s part of what drew me to Fairfield,? he said. ?One of my passions is helping kids and helping them improve no matter what they?re doing.?