Tim Rulo wasn't in any hurry to leave South Callaway High School.
Rulo had just completed the most successful of his seven seasons as the head football coach, leading the Bulldogs to a runner-up finish in the Class 2 state playoffs. So as the calendar flipped to 2015, Rulo and his wife, Anne, had a discussion his future and the potential of leaving the school in Mokane.
"With the new facilities and the awesome community there, we didn't feel there was a public institution we were interested in at the time," Rulo said.
That left positions at a college or at a parochial school, which seemed more likely at this stage of Rulo's coaching career.
"At a parochial school, I can be very open with my faith, how much I love the Lord and use that in trying to improve kids' lives," Rulo said.
And when Phil Pitts stepped down as the head coach at Helias in late January to join the football staff at the University of Missouri, the position definitely interested him.
"I never would have thought Helias would be a potential place, but after it opened up, it seemed right," Rulo said Monday after he was introduced as the new head football coach for the Crusaders.
Bringing Rulo on board seemed right for Helias as well.
"He understands the whole development of the student-athlete," Helias activities director Brad Dempsey said. "He understands what it means to develop a student-athlete as a person."
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This isn't the first time Rulo, 34, has been offered a coaching position at Helias.
When Chris Hentges took over in 2006 as head coach of the Crusaders, he wanted Rulo to join his staff.
"I had gotten to know him and I knew his character and qualities," Hentges said. "I tried like heck to get him here."
Hentges was part of the committee that interviewed applicants for the job.
"It was thorough," Rulo said, noting he had to draw football plays on the board for the committee. "It made me realize the environment was the right one for me."
"I felt like I passed the test," he added with a laugh.
Hentges knows better than most what comes along with being the head coach at Helias. He played for his Hall of Fame father, Ray, as well as serving as the head coach. Hentges was the offensive coordinator last year when Helias captured its seventh straight district title.
"This is not an easy job," Hentges said. "Normally when a new guy comes in, the program is in shambles and you can do nothing but go up.
"But it speaks to Tim's character to take this leap, to take on this challenge. There are expectations here."
Rulo will be the sixth head football coach in Helias history, the first without ties to the school or its predecessor, St. Peters High School. That may be a small cause for concern for longtime Helias supporters, but Hentges believes Rulo will quickly win them over.
"When they get to know Tim Rulo, they are going to realize why the committee believes he is the right person for this job," he said. "He's a special individual and he will thrive in this environment.
"The process was thorough and I think he is the right man at the right time."
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Rulo plans to meet with the Helias assistant coaches and players later this week. But Monday, it was time to tell the South Callaway players he was leaving.
"It was rough," Rulo said. "A lot of tears, I gave each of them a hug and told them I loved them.
"When a big ol' lineman hugs you and almost picks you up and takes the air out of you, you realize how awesome that is."
Moments like that will be his fondest memories of his time at South Callaway.
"It's not the wins and loses, you remember those, but it's the relationships with not only the players, but with the facility and the students," Rulo said. "The records, honestly, will fade. The trophies will tarnish. What doesn't fade is the relationships with people that have impacted your life and hopefully the way you have impacted theirs."
He is ready to build the same type of relationships at Helias.
"There is so much community support and tradition, I am so excited to become a part of that," said Rulo, who will teach weight training, strength and conditioning at Helias. "Not only the stands on a Friday or Saturday night, but in the hallways with the students."
Rulo was 66-19 with five state playoff appearances in his seven seasons at South Callaway, where he also serves as co-head coach of the track and field teams.
"I'm humbled to be part of a great line of head coaches they've had here," Rulo said. "My family and I are excited to become a part of the Helias family."
Helias will host a "Meet the Coach" night for the public at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Rackers Fieldhouse.