Quinn Fleeting, a Windsor High graduate who was the interim head coach of the Windsor football team this past season– during which the team won its first state championship since 2014— has resigned.
Fleeting, son of former coach Rob Fleeting, took over the position in July after his father was named assistant principal at the school and was told he would not be allowed to coach the football team anymore. At the time, Quinn Fleeting had been the team’s offensive coordinator for the previous four years.
Windsor went 12-1 and defeated Bunnell 23-13 in the Class MM championship game at Central Connecticut on Dec. 13. It was the Warriors’ second straight trip to the final, but they lost the game in 2024 on a last-second field goal.
Quinn, who played for his father at Windsor and had been an assistant coach since his graduation from Western Connecticut in 2018, said he had been unhappy with the “interim” title since he was hired.
Quinn Fleeting (right), who played quarterback at Western Connecticut State University before graduating in 2018, and his father, former Windsor High coach Rob Fleeting. (Courant file photo)
“They stated before the season started it would be an interim position – which I didn’t agree with in the first place,” Quinn said. “There was a lot of stuff going on above me.
“When (the media) were interviewing me before the season, I got a call from the school saying, ‘Make sure you say you’re the interim coach, not the head coach.’
“There was an email that stated, after the season, during a more strategic hiring window, that they would search for a more highly qualified candidate. That was right before the season started. That was kind of a slap in the face.”
Last July, Rob Fleeting said that the “interim” title was due to the timing of the hire, and that he hoped that the school would keep his son on after the season.
“I think they’ll have a good year this year,” Rob said last July. “The coaches are still there and the system is in place and hopefully they’ll keep him on longer than interim.”
A spokesperson for the Windsor Public school system said Tuesday there would be no comment on the situation but confirmed that the job had been posted.
Quinn Fleeting said the job was posted Dec. 23, 10 days after the team won the title, and that he was disappointed he was not notified by the school.
“Someone called me and told me,” he said. “I said, ‘I didn’t even know it was open already.’ I thought a conversation or something would be had, like ‘Hey, just to let you know, we’re going to open this up’ – some type of a dialogue. Something.”
Quinn said he met with athletic director Chris Fulton for an end-of-year interview and told Fulton he was not going to coach anymore.
“I just thanked him for supporting me through the process,” Quinn said. “I did tell him I felt kind of bad because I put him in a tough position but going through this whole process helped me realize that maybe I just need to take a step back. I don’t want to deal with politics. I got two boys to raise – I’m just going to focus on being a father.”