At tonight’s Pella School Board meeting, an early retirement package for a legendary head coach was approved. Jay McKinstrey tells KNIA/KRLS Sports he intends to retire following the 2024 season from both coaching and teaching.

“I prayed about it for several years now and I sense that the time has come to let go and trust God for what is next,” McKinstrey said in an email to KNIA/KRLS.

McKinstrey is one of the greatest Iowa high school football coaches of all time, with a win-loss record of 226-73 in 27 seasons, leading the Dutch to the playoffs 21 times during that stretch. His .761 winning percentage ranked in the top 30 all-time among all coaches in Iowa prior to this year.

McKinstrey’s best on-field accomplishment was guiding the program to a 41-game winning streak from 2014-16, collecting three undefeated championships in one of the greatest stretches in state history. Pella made its first playoff appearance in the new Class 4A in 2023, with a 6-4 overall record.