East St. Louis Senior High football coach Darren Sunkett was inducted into the Illinois HIgh School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame last Saturday.
Sunkett was one of 15 current and retired coaches who were inducted at last weekend’s IHSFCA Banquet, which was held at the University of Illinois after their three day Coaches Clinic.
A big group of family, friends, fans, administrators, assistant coaches and colleagues were on hand to help Sunkett celebrate this special occasion. In his 23 years as the head coach of the Flyers, Sunkett has been nothing short of spectacular.
Coach Sunkett has 47 former players that are currently playing collegiate football at various levels around the country, including Mizzou’s Luther Burden III, who ranks as the No. 1 wide receiver in the country heading into next season and the 2025 NFL Draft.
Also among the former Flyers greats who have played for Sunkett include current National Football League players Antonio Johnson (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Lester Cotton (Miami Dolphins). In addition, there are current USFL players Terry Beckner Jr. (Pittsburgh Maulers) and Jeff Thomas (St. Louis Battlhawks).
Coach Sunkett has amassed a record of 218 wins and only 63 losses, which is a winning percentage of .770. In addition, he also won a state championship in Missouri at Riverview Gardens in 1998. That Riverview Gardens team was led by the great Christian Morton and the late, great Damien Nash, who went on to play for the Denver Broncos.
Under Sunkett’s direction, the Flyers have been ranked in the Top 25 nationally on three different occasions. He has coached in numerous national All-Star games, which has opened doors for his student-athletes to form bonds and relationships with bosch coaches and other student-athletes across the country.
With Darren Sunkett at the helm, the Flyers have been known to play a schedule that is unmatched in the St. Louis metro area on an annual basis. He has to play a national schedule because non-conference schools in the area refuse to play the Flyers, who are currently the all-time winningest program in the state of Illinois.
It says a lot about Coach Sunk’s “Commitment to Excellence” both on and off the field, mentoring and making sure his players excel on the field and in the classroom.
Recently, both Purdue recruits Jesse Watson and Smiley Bradford were acknowledged by Purdue for their academic achievements during the first semester, despite the fact that graduation at East St. Louis is not until the end of May.
Coach Sunkett has changed hundreds of kids’ lives during his time at East St. Louis. And Flyers fans are happy that he’s there.
Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations to our latest Hall of Fame Coach, Darren Sunkett.
