Bob Forsyth has found a home at Linn-Mar High School after having a half-dozen other jobs.

He never wants to leave.

Forsyth, 50, is the successful football coach at Linn-Mar. His wife, Dawn, is a former Linn-Mar athlete and cheerleader. Their three children are enrolled in the Linn-Mar school district.

This is exactly where he wants to be.

"This is my last stop," Forsyth said Wednesday after practice. "As long as they'll have me here, this is where I want to be.

"We're done moving," he said. "It's such a great school district and such a great community, and I want my kids to all graduate from here."

That's good news for Linn-Mar football fans, who would hate to lose him. The Lions are 6-0 and ranked No. 3 in the state heading into Friday's game against Cedar Rapids Washington at Kingston Stadium.

For many years, it looked like Forsyth might become a head coach in college somewhere. He worked for Hayden Fry as a graduate assistant at Iowa in 1990 and 1991, then served as an assistant coach at Augustana College, Morningside College and the University of South Dakota for 11 years.

"My wife and I moved about three or four times and we started to have a family," he said. "I started to think about what's really important."

He'd go on recruiting trips, visiting with high school coaches and players, and the allure of being a college coach began to fade. "I'd see these high school coaches and think, 'Boy, these guys have it pretty good.' "

Forsyth ultimately decided to join them. He became the head coach at Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln High School, steering Lincoln in the right direction.

"It was a tough situation for them," he said. "They hadn't won a game for a couple of years. We were able to make some strides and had some big wins there. It was a great opportunity for me."

He worked at Lincoln for five years, but then a better opportunity came along. Linn-Mar needed a new coach, and the Forsyth family was definitely interested.

"My wife went to Linn-Mar, and so when it became open this was really an attractive thing for us to look into," he said.

Forsyth knew some people who knew Linn-Mar activities director Scott Mahmens. One thing led to another and Forsyth got the job, putting him back in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

Forsyth played football in the MVC at Iowa City High School and began his coaching career there when he was only 19 years old. He was a student at Iowa at the time, and when classes were done for the day he'd head over to his alma mater and get to work.

"A great experience for me," he said.

Forsyth stayed on the City High staff all through college and for a while after he graduated from Iowa. Larry Brown was the head coach at City High at the time, and they'd regularly visit University of Iowa practices in search of knowledge from Fry and his assistants.

Fry eventually hired Forsyth as a graduate assistant, which was a cherished job. Three of the other graduate assistants at the time were Mike Stoops, Mark Stoops and Bo Pelini. Mike Stoops is currently the head coach at Arizona, Mark Stoops is the defensive coordinator at Florida State and Pelini is the head coach at Nebraska.

"Those guys were great guys to be around," Forsyth said. "It was just a neat experience. It really opened my eyes to a lot of things about football."

Forsyth was in charge of the Scout Team defense during his two years with the Hawkeyes, helping Iowa get ready for Big Ten games during two successful campaigns that ended in the Rose Bowl and Holiday Bowl. He figured he'd return to City High after his G.A. work ended, but it didn't work out that way.

He worked as the running backs coach and defensive line coach at Augustana, served as the running backs coach and offensive coordinator at Morningside, then worked as the defensive backfield coach and defensive coordinator at South Dakota.

All of those experiences helped prepare him for where he is today, leading one of the top Class 4A football programs in Iowa.

Forsyth found a blueprint for success at Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, where he turned that program around. He's done the same thing at Linn-Mar, inheriting a club that went 0-9 in 2007 and taking them to the playoffs two years later.

"I try to get good people around me," he said. "I've got a really good staff of assistant coaches. If you can get good people around you, you've got a chance.

"Good people and good kids," he said. "That's kind of the blueprint."

The Lions have enjoyed a fast start this year with six straight wins, but they're not fooled. They started 7-0 last year, then lost three of their last four games to finish 8-3.

The Lions visit Washington Friday night, host Iowa City High next week and finish the regular season at Xavier. Then comes the playoffs, so the meaty part of the schedule is just beginning.

"There's a lot more to do, and a lot more to do this year," Forsyth remarked, "but I'm happy with a lot of the things we've been able to do."

Linn-Mar and Washington have engaged in two classic battles the last two years, with the Lions winning 41-38 in 2009 and 42-35 last year. The Warriors upset City High last week, 27-24, and Forsyth expects another tough game Friday.

"We expect a 48-minute battle," he said.