In a world full of discrimination and limitations, standards and norms, stereotypes and biases, Black culture has always found a way to shine—to break the unbreakable, do the unthinkable, and develop history-makers. In the ETHS football program, Black culture is shining brighter than ever, with ETHS football hiring the first Black head coach in program history, a man raised in Arlington Heights, Miles Osei.
Osei’s story is unfinished, a new chapter of his life is about to begin on the turf of Lazier Field. We are in for one amazing plot. But every book has a beginning, pages that lead them to this chapter in their life. So let’s turn back the pages and start from page one.
Born in Miami, Florida, Osei has experienced numerous living situations, shaping him as a person and athlete. After multiple years in Florida, he and his family moved to Canada for about six months, leading to his next destination—Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Growing up in the District 214 area, Osei played numerous sports as a kid, from baseball to basketball to wrestling to football. Osei had a passion for all kinds of athletics. So passionate was he, that he and his best friend decided to drive down to Evanston to compete in FAAM (Fellowship of Afro-American Men), a nonprofit organization that offers basketball and cheerleading programs to middle school children. Osei played for the Heat, enjoying every minute of his experience, seeing a whole new world of athletics on the Northshore, but that wouldn’t be the last time he stepped into Evanston.
The pages flipped in Osei’s book, and he found himself attending Prospect High School as a freshman, where he continued to pursue basketball, baseball and football. After recovering from an illness his junior year, Osei decided it was best to put an end to his basketball talents, becoming a two-sport athlete in baseball and football.
Osei passed for 4,498 yards and 38 touchdowns as a junior and senior, while rushing for another 2,426 yards and 39 touchdowns. His efforts grabbed the eyes of many and attracted multiple awards, including being named to the Chicago Tribune’s First-Team All-State, Champaign News-Gazette’s All-State Team, IHSA All-State honors, and more.
“Sports were an integral part [of my life]. Being around a strong culture—that’s all I knew,” said Osei.
Sports was such an impactful part of his life that it could possibly pay for his future education. Osei’s coaches knew that, they were aware of his high ceiling, and knew how close he was to reaching that level.
“[Sports] was a vehicle to pay for my education.” Osei stated.“The coaches and mentors, both good and bad, shaped me into who I am today, pushed me beyond where I thought I could go.”
With this newfound focus, Osei went far. High school football ended up doing exactly what he wanted it to do for him—become a vehicle to pay for his education. Osei was highly recruited out of high school. He was listed as a three-star dual-threat quarterback, holding Division I offers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Central Michigan University, Air Force, Northern Illinois University, Navy, Ball State University, to name a few.
Osei initially committed to Northern Illinois. Eventually, he flipped his commitment and made the decision to join the Fighting Illini at Urbana-Champaign.
Going from high school to college is a big jump that a lot of people, if you’re not prepared for mentally, can take you out. You go from being the person at your high school to just another guy on the roster.
But this didn’t phase Osei.
“I was big on playing multiple sports, so not being that person in every sport helped shape me on how to navigate [adversity],” said Osei.
After stepping foot on campus as a freshman, Osei began to work his way up the depth chart. He played in three games as a freshman, and the next year served as the utility guy—playing backup quarterback and special teams—appearing in 10 games. In his junior year, he played in all 12 games, including the first four at quarterback before moving to wide receiver, where he finished the final eight games of the season. The pages turned, and Osei’s senior year arrived. He was now a full-time wide receiver.
“It was a good challenge. You see stuff at quarterback you can apply at receiver. I wasn’t the fastest student by any means [or] the most athletic kid on the team, but I felt I knew how to work really hard. I understood the game and what quarterbacks wanted to see,” Osei stated.
In 2014, Osei graduated, wrapping up his football-playing career as a player for the Fighting Illini. He then embarked on a new journey to explore the coaching side of his football passion.
He grabbed a position as an assistant coach for Wheeling for three years, but some might say the start of a successful career happened when he was hired in 2017 as the head coach at Elk Grove.
During the six seasons Osei was at Elk Grove, he revamped the program and restored life on the field, bringing the Grenadiers to the Class 7A state playoffs in 2022—their first playoff appearance since 2013.
At this point in Osei’s story, he had built a strong résumé in the coaching world and had no plans to slow down. A head coaching job at Kankakee presented itself, and Osei took it. He joined the faculty of Kankakee as a special education teacher and the head coach.
Osei’s time at Kankakee was short-lived but full of success. He was the head coach for two seasons (2023–24 and 2024–25), with a combined record of 21-3, including back-to-back appearances in the IHSA state quarterfinals and back-to-back Southland Athletic Conference championships.
“I wouldn’t take back those experiences for the world. I loved working in both programs—two very different schools, different challenges—and every school has challenges. I don’t care if it’s the top school, the bottom school, or the middle school—every school has challenges. I think trying to navigate and find solutions to those challenges—I do a pretty good job of doing that,” voiced Osei.
Osei’s story isn’t nearly finished. There is a heavy task at hand, with Wildkit supporters questioning if anyone can turn this ship around and lead ETHS in the right direction. The Kits were 6-12 in the past two seasons, only leaving room for improvement. Evanston football has already made steps in the right direction by hiring Osei, whose role as the first Black head coach in ETHS football history is an inspiration to many.
“It’s a unique milestone when Black student-athletes know that they can be at that level. They can coach, they can go to college—I think it puts the stamp on, ‘Yeah, we can.’ They can do everything and anything they set their mind to,” said Osei.
It’s more than just an occupation to Osei, it’s a chip he carries on his shoulder.
“I don’t take the words [first Black head coach] lightly. I don’t take that as, ‘Oh, it’s really cool.’ That’s a responsibility, that’s a role I take very seriously. A lot of kids see themselves in me, which is a very unique situation to be in.” Osei stated.
“My focus has always been on kids. What are we doing to help kids? What are we doing to move the needle on their expectations, their mindset? That’s what it comes down to,” said Osei. “It puts more of an emphasis and responsibility on making sure all kids—regardless of if they look like me or don’t look like me—this is the standard we’re going to play at.”
With the loss of a large amount of senior talent and an unfilled quarterback position following the departure of senior QB Colin Livatino, Osei has his challenges ahead of him. But with years of winning experience both on and off the field, he is prepared.
“Evanston is a very diverse community, and I take pride in that. But I’m also ready to get to work. Any kid that comes out and any kid that’s part of the program—we’re going to work and have a different edge to how we go about things.”
Osei has made history and will continue to portray Black excellence throughout his story and the sports world. What it means to be a Black coach has been defined and if you are searching for that definition look no further than Coach Osei—his unfinished story tells you.
