Arizona lost another of its football coaching legends with the passing Sunday of longtime McClintock and later Mountain Pointe coach Karl Kiefer. Kiefer was 82 years old. Kiefer had recently gone into hospice care after a recent heart attack. He and wife, Sharon, recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at his passing.

Kiefer was born in 1938 in Lawrence, Kansas and a 1956 graduate of Tempe High, He was the first football coach at McClintock High when it opened in 1963. The Chargers competed in football at the varsity level under Kiefer from 1964-1990.

Kiefer led McClintock to a three state titles (1977, 1980 and 1989) and held the mantle of the state’s winningest football coach for many years finishing with 308 coaching victories, 138 losses and three ties over his stints at McClintock and Mountain Pointe. He coached at Mountain Pointe from 1991 through 2005 when he retired. Kiefer helped coach the lower levels at Mountain Pointe after stepping down as varsity coach. Kiefer also coached boys track for a time at Mountain Pointe winning four state titles (1995-97) and 2002.

 

Kiefer (far right), Westwood's Jerry Loper and Mountain View's Karl Kiefer shortly after the trio had reached or surpassed the 200-win plateau. (AzPreps365 photo)

David Klecka, who played under Kiefer as a member of the 1989 state title team recently honored by McClintock and helps coach at Desert Vista at present, said his mentor and friend remained plugged into football at his death.

“He wanted to know what we (Desert Vista) were going to do to defend (Perry’s) Chubba (Purdy) in the playoffs just a few weeks ago,” Klecka said.

In an era of coaching legends in the 1960s through the mid-2000’s, Kiefer matched wits against the likes of Mountain View’s Jesse Parker, Westwood’s Jerry Loper and Amphitheater’s Vern Friedli to name a few, matching up mostly with Parker and Loper teams for the better part of two decades in the big-school ranks.

Kiefer is survived by wife, Sharon, and children Sheri, Shauna and Kent.