A look back at Manatee High football coaches since 1981

Here is a look at the most recent Manatee High football coaches since Joe Kinnan took over in 1981 and turned the Hurricanes into one of the state's most successful high school football programs.

JOE KINNAN (1981-2000)

• The legendary Manatee High coach set the standard for Hurricanes football winning four state titles (1983, 1985, 1989, 1992) and compiling a 192-56 record before stepping down due to health issures.

HOWIE DECRISTOFARO (2001-2004)

• DeCristofaro, who had the tough task of following the Hurricanes coaching legend Joe Kinnan, compiled a mediocre 25-19 record but did take the Hurricanes to the playoffs in three of his four seasons. He was fired in January 2005.

JOE KINNAN (2005-2013)

• Kinnan returned to Manatee and guided the Hurricanes to a 98-15 mark and his fifth state championship in 2011. In nine seasons, he went 98-15 to bring his overall mark to 290-71 before retiring. Kinnan was later named to the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) and Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Hall of Fame.

JOHN BOOTH (2014-2016)

• A 2000 Manatee High graduate, Booth was named to replace Kinnan and went 28-9 during his three seasons before stepping down to become a financial advisor. His teams won two district titles and reached the state semifinals in his three years.

YUSUF SHAKIR (2017-2020)

• Manatee went outside the area, hiring Shakir who had been at Tallahassee Lincoln High. The Hurricanes went 29-16 in his four years before he was fired Tuesday. Manatee reached the regional final twice and regional semifinal once. He won eight games each of the past three seasons. 

Dennis Maffezzoli is the deputy sports editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and chief reporter for Sarasota Herald-Tribune and HTpreps covering Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. Support local journalism by subscribing.