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NFL Announces Nominees For 2022 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award

The NFL announced the high school football coaches nominated by the 32 NFL teams for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award, representing the best in coaching at the high school level.

The coaches were recognized by their local NFL club for the prestigious award – named after Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history. The coaches were judged based on areas Coach Shula exceled at most during his career – character, integrity, leadership, dedication to the community, commitment to player health and safety and on-field success. 

“We are honored to celebrate the 32 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year nominees, as each embodies the integrity, commitment and character of Coach Shula,” said Roman Oben, Vice President of Football Development. “High school football coaches serve as leaders and role models dedicated to shaping the lives of young high school players both on and off the field and this group represents the very best from across the country every year.”

For the first time, the NFL will recognize two winners, one from the AFC and NFC conferences. These two winners will be invited to the Pro Bowl Games in Las Vegas on February 5 and will be recognized in special ways during the NFL’s week-long celebration of football. Throughout the week, coaches will receive VIP access and accommodations to attend the Pro Bowl Games practices for both AFC and NFC teams, on-field access at Sunday’s Pro Bowl Games, and a chance to interact and engage with various members of the football community.

The NFL Foundation and Nike have teamed up to provide the two winners with a $15,000 award to their high school football programs and a $10,000 cash award. The other 30 club nominees will all receive a $1,000 cash award. They will also attend Super Bowl LVII in Arizona as special guests of the NFL. The Don Shula Award winners will be announced in the week prior to the Pro Bowl Games, the multi-day AFC vs. NFC competition that will culminate in an action-packed flag game, featuring Pro Bowl players at Allegiant Stadium and will air on ESPN and ABC on February 5. The winners will also be recognized and walk the red carpet at the 12th annual NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on February 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET on FOX. 

The Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year winner is selected by a panel of distinguished individuals:

  • Tony Dungy, Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach and current NBC analyst
  • Scott Hallenbeck, Executive Director of USA Football
  • Peyton Manning, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and current ESPN contributor
  • Roman Oben, Super Bowl XXXVII champion and NFL Vice President of Football Development
  • Scott Pioli, NFL analyst and former front-office executive
  • Michael Robinson, NFL Legend and NFL Network analyst
  • Dave Shula, NFL Legend, former NFL head coach and son of the late Coach Shula
  • Bobby Taylor, former All-Pro cornerback and NFL Strategic Advisor for Football Development
  • Aaron Thomas, Aplington-Parkersburg High School Principal and son of the school's late football coach, Ed Thomas

Below is a full list of the 2022 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year nominees:

NOMINATING NFL TEAM

COACH

HIGH SCHOOL

Arizona Cardinals

Chris McDonald

Basha

Atlanta Falcons

Tony Lotti

Apalachee

Baltimore Ravens

Kyle Schmitt

Archbishop Spalding

Buffalo Bills

Steve McDuffie

Bennett

Carolina Panthers

Jimmy Teague

Reidsville

Chicago Bears

Ken Leonard

Sacred Heart-Griffin

Cincinnati Bengals

Andre Parker

Princeton

Cleveland Browns

Chuck Kyle

St. Ignatius

Dallas Cowboys

Chad Cole

Reedy

Denver Broncos

Blair Hubbard

Broomfield

Detroit Lions

Tyrone Spencer

Detroit Martin Luther King Jr.

Green Bay Packers

Andrew Selgrad

Columbus

Houston Texans

Wade Miller

Uvalde

Indianapolis Colts

Eric Moore

Center Grove

Jacksonville Jaguars

Robert Shields

Baldwin

Kansas City Chiefs

Bryan DeLong

Center

Las Vegas Raiders

Brent Lewis

Moapa Valley

Los Angeles Chargers

Joe Torres

King/Drew Magnet

Los Angeles Rams

Stephen Barbee

Long Beach Poly

Miami Dolphins

Jube Joseph

Miami Central

Minnesota Vikings

Chris Mensen

Simley

New England Patriots

John Rafferty

Wakefield Memorial

New Orleans Saints

Marcus Scott

Destrehan

New York Giants

Matt Gallagher

Maine-Endwell

New York Jets

Clive Harding

Boys and Girls

Philadelphia Eagles

Mike St. Clair

Bayard Rustin

Pittsburgh Steelers

Jon LeDonne

Pine-Richland

San Francisco 49ers

Phil Ferrigno

Abraham Lincoln

Seattle Seahawks

Jason Ronquillo

Yelm

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mark Buchanan

Indian Rocks Christian

Tennessee Titans

Lamar Brown

West

Washington Commanders

Larry Choates

John R. Lewis

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