Ryan McFarland named new Webb City head football coach
Jan. 11—WEBB CITY, Mo. — Ryan McFarland. 40, has been named the new head football coach for the Webb City Cardinals, replacing John Roderique, who recently announced his retirement at the end of the school year.
A longtime Cardinal, McFarland was a freshman when Roderique took over the Cardinals in 1997 and was a starter at wide receiver and outside linebacker before a neck injury as a junior cut his playing career short. He started helping Roderique coach when he was a senior in high school.
He is a graduate of Missouri Southern State University and Williams Woods University, with a Master of Leadership in Education.
When he was in college at Missouri Southern, McFarland assisted Webb City two years as a volunteer and also helped out former coach Leon Miller at Frontenac, which was McFarland's first teaching job.
He was hired as assistant coach at Webb City from 2006-2013. His first head coaching stop was at Riverton, Kansas, where he compiled a 7-13 overall record over two years. He also coached the Seneca Indians from 2016 to 2020. He 28-26 while leading his team to a district runner-up in 2019 — a team that went 8-4 and lost to Cassville.
In 2021, he announced he was returning to Webb City to work under Roderique as offensive coordinator.
He has called Roderique a "mentor" in previous Globe stories. "I played for him for four years and coached for him for 10 years. We have got a great relationship."
"My passion for Webb City football started when I was a young elementary student coming to Cardinal Stadium to watch Friday night football games. From a young boy watching games in the bleachers, to a player in the youth football program, on into junior high and high school levels, and now to a man who has dedicated the last 20 years to coaching, I am who I am today because of the Webb City school system and the Webb City football program."
