About 12 years ago, Rob Stover walked into Sycamore High School to talk with Joe Ryan.

Stover didn’t say he demanded a job from the football coach, who even then was a fixture of the program. But he made a convincing case to join his staff.

On Wednesday, the Sycamore School District 427 Board announced Stover as Ryan’s replacement as the new head football coach.

“I came in because I just wanted to learn football,” Stover said. ”When he gave me the opportunity, and I got to know his staff and the guys that are here now, it was just the perfect fit."

Ryan went 156-80 in 22 years and led the team to the last seven postseasons. The team went 5-5 this season. He announced his retirement at the beginning of the year.

Stover has been an assistant with the Spartans for 11 years, including the last seven as a co-defensive coordinator. He’s also been the defensive coordinator at Burlington Central, his alma mater, and an assistant at Unity. He has degrees from Illinois and West Virginia.

Stover said he has been an assistant for 20 years and has learned a lot under Ryan and was appreciative of the opportunity.

“He’s a first-class coach, a hall of fame coach, but he’s a better man,” Stover said. “He’s a devoted husband and a great father. That’s what I learned from him most. The wins and losses will come and go. It’s how you treat the people around you that matters. And I thought he was a great example of what it means to be a man of faith, a husband and a father.”

Stover is a teacher at Southeast Elementary in Sycamore and is a co-advisor for the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He lives in Sycamore with his wife, Katie, and children Tommy, Louie, Jocko and Shane.

Sycamore athletic director Chauncey Carrick said he liked Stover’s plan to keep the program trending upward and thought his attention to detail set him apart.

“The final thing that put him over the top is not only his dedication to the students of Sycamore but the community of Sycamore,” Carrick said. “He’s active in the youth organizations here in town. ... He’s taught here for a while now and is really ingrained in the community.”

“His attention to detail and leaving no stone unturned has allowed him to be successful. He has been fully committed to our players and community and will continue to be all-in on the Spartans. ... Rob understands that Sycamore is a community entity and is ready for the challenge.”

Stover said it’s not going to be easy following a Hall of Fame coach who had the level of success Ryan did. The Spartans missed five postseasons during his tenure, and only two after his first three seasons.

The adjustment, he said, will be eased by the continuity in the coaching staff. Aside from the retirement of a couple of assistants, most of the staff will remain the same.

“If you have to follow that guy, you want to make sure the guys on staff are guys you want to be in a foxhole with,” Stover said. “When the job came open, it was a no-brainer for me. I was going to apply because of the guys ... I was going to be able to work with each and every day.”

Stover said he expects Sycamore to be a program that does things the right way and is physical, disciplined and consistent week in and week out.

“My vision is playing Sycamore football is going to be the best decision our boys make in their high school careers,” Stover said. “Our purpose is to make sure when they graduate they are better leaders, better competitors, better teammates and better men. If we’ve accomplished that, we’ve accomplished something pretty special.”