Tom Alessio Jr.

Introduction

Tom Alessio Jr. is a longtime Iowa high school football coach and county government administrator whose dual career collapsed within six weeks in the summer of 2026. He was the deputy director of the general services division and a building and grounds supervisor for Polk County, Iowa, and the head football coach at Des Moines Lincoln High School. In June 2026, he was terminated from his county positions after a workplace investigation substantiated multiple allegations of inappropriate behavior, according to a termination letter shared with KCCI. Less than two months later, on July 20, 2026, he resigned as Lincoln’s head football coach, per Des Moines Public Schools — a resignation that left the school searching for a new leader of its program with the season opener barely five weeks away.

Background Information

Alessio had spent more than two decades in the Lincoln High School football program before becoming its head coach. He was promoted to the top job in January 2025 after spending more than 20 years as an assistant with the Railsplitters. In his lone season at the helm, Lincoln went 3-6 in 2025, an improvement on the team’s 1-8 record in 2024 the year before he took over.

Alongside his coaching role, Alessio worked in Polk County government, one of Iowa’s largest county governments and the home of Des Moines, holding the dual titles of deputy director of the general services division and building and grounds supervisor. The two roles sat far apart in public visibility — one running county facilities and grounds, the other leading a Class 5A football program on Des Moines’ south side — but both ended in the same six-week span.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

On June 5, 2026, Alessio was fired from both of his Polk County government positions — deputy director of the general services division and building and grounds supervisor — a firing the Des Moines Register reported.

Polk County human resources director Lola Evans wrote in a termination letter: “This termination is the result of a workplace investigation which substantiated multiple allegations of inappropriate behaviors and conduct. All of these behaviors failed to meet the county’s reasonable expectations of conduct and leadership from someone in your position.”

That is the full public description of the substance: the sources describe the allegations only as “inappropriate behaviors and conduct” that were substantiated by a workplace investigation. Neither outlet reported criminal charges or any further details about what the behavior involved. KCCI reached out to Alessio for comment and received no response, and Sports Illustrated reported he had not responded to multiple requests for comment since early June.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The county firing drew little public attention at first; it was the coaching resignation that turned the story public. On July 20, 2026 — less than two months after the county termination — Alessio resigned as Lincoln High School’s head football coach, and a Des Moines Public Schools spokesperson confirmed the resignation to KCCI.

The resignation landed at a critical point on the Iowa high school football calendar: preseason practice was underway and Lincoln’s Aug. 28 opener against Roosevelt was approaching, leaving district officials limited time to name an interim or permanent head coach. As of the SI report, Lincoln had not named a replacement, no interim coach had been publicly identified, and Des Moines Public Schools had not announced a timeline for doing so.

The Des Moines Register also reported that Alessio’s termination came during a broader period of turmoil within Polk County government; separately, General Services Director Scott Ourth faces civil trials in 2027 involving allegations of sexual harassment. Because the county’s termination letter described only “inappropriate behaviors and conduct,” neither the county’s action nor the coaching resignation generated a public statement from Alessio explaining his side — KCCI noted he did not respond to its request for comment, and SI reported he had gone silent with reporters since early June.

Current Status

Alessio is out of both roles. His Polk County employment ended with the June 5, 2026 termination, and his resignation ended a head coaching tenure that lasted one season. Lincoln, which competes in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 5A’s Group 4 Conference, moved toward the 2026 season without a publicly named successor. Alessio has not publicly commented on the termination or the resignation.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The investigation ended Alessio’s two-decade run with the Lincoln football program just weeks before what would have been his second season as head coach, and cost him his county government career with it. For the Railsplitters, the timing forced a leadership search in the final weeks of preseason preparation, with the district tasked with providing stability for the program on short notice.