San Jose high School Football Coach to Step Down Following Section Title Win

It was a good ride, but after six seasons in charge of the football program at Leland High School in San Jose, California, head coach Kelly King Jr. is stepping down for his role. And there was no better way for him to go out, capping off a tenure that saw him lead Leland to its first Central Coast Section title since 1999.
King Jr., who lives in Milpitas, said in a statement via the Bay Area News Group that a big reason for his departure was the travel distance, with a distance of around 20 miles separating Milpitas to Leland and traffic being a issue, and considering that he has a family with younger kids, it became a challenge for him to make the there and back trip as frequently as he needed to. However, King still is interested in coaching and is hoping to find a job closer to where he resides.
King's father, Kelly King Sr., is the current head coach at Milpitas High School, where King Jr. spent many years as an assistant and was a key piece in helping the school win three CCS championships during his time there. Now back on the hunt for his next coaching job, King Jr. noted that one possibility is for him to go back and be on his father's staff once again, however, talks for that to happen have yet to begin.
After serving on staff at Milpitas, King Jr. jumped at the opportunity to move over to Leland in order to prove to himself that he, too, could lead and a program and wanted to write his own story. Serving as the offensive coordinator for one year in 2018, King Jr. was then quickly named the head coach of the Chargers prior to 2019, where he remained until his resignation.
His time with the Chargers saw him leave with a record of 34-32, with trips to the CCS title game in 2019 (his very first year) and 2024, winning the latter. 2024 also proved to be one of, if not his best, season in charge as the Chargers finished 10-4 overall with a 4-1 league record. Starting the '24 campaign at 2-2, the Chargers then went on a tear, going 5-1 to end the regular season and earn a playoff spot. Following a section title win, the Chargers then went on to play in NorCals, unfortunately falling short in the regional finals with a 42-11 loss to Moreau Catholic.
There is no doubt that King Jr. instilled a strong culture at Leland, and even though he may be gone, he set the tone for the future and left the program in a good state for sustainable success throughout the future.