The NFL announced today the 32 nominees for the 2024 Don Shula High School Coach of the Year Award, representing the best in coaching at the high school football level.
The coaches will be celebrated by their local NFL clubs for the prestigious award named after Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history. The coaches were judged based upon characteristics and character traits Coach Shula exhibited during his career – character, integrity, leadership, dedication to the community, commitment to player health and safety, and on-field success.
Related: 2023 Don Shula Award winners
“High school football coaches serve as leaders dedicated to shaping the lives of young high school players across the country every year,” said Roman Oben, NFL vice president of football development. “Don Shula was one of the game’s most celebrated coaches because of the people he impacted on and off the field. Today the NFL honors the 32 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year nominees, as each exemplifies the integrity, commitment and character of Coach Shula.”
The NFL will recognize one winner from the region near an NFL club in each conference, AFC and NFC. These two winners will be invited to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, Feb. 2, 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 conferences, on-field access on Sunday for the culmination of the 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 a $15,000 award for their high school football programs and a $10,000 cash award. The other 30 club nominees will all receive a $1,000 cash award. The two winners will also attend Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans as special guests of the NFL. The Don Shula Award winners will be announced in the week prior to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games, televised on Sunday, Feb. 2, from 3-6 p.m. ET on ESPN, ABC, and ESPN Deportes. The winners will also be recognized and walk the red carpet at NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.
The Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year winners are selected by a panel of distinguished individuals:
- 2023 Don Shula NFL Coach of the Year Award AFC Winner Andy Lowry
- 2023 Don Shula NFL Coach of the Year Award NFC Winner Shane Fairfield
- NFL analyst and former front office executive Scott Pioli
- Pro Football Hall of Famer and current ESPN contributor Peyton Manning
- Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and current NBC analyst Tony Dungy
- Executive Director of USA Football Scott Hallenbeck
- Former All-Pro cornerback and NFL consultant Bobby Taylor
- NFL Legend and NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson
- NFL Legend, former NFL head coach, and son of the late Coach Shula Dave Shula
- Nike Brand Director of Grass Roots and Team Scott Henson
Below is a full list of the 2024 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year nominees. For more information on the NFL Foundation, visit nflfoundation.org or follow @NFLFoundation on X.
| Nominating NFL Team | Coach | High School |
| Arizona Cardinals | Travis Schureman | Queen Creek High School |
| Atlanta Falcons | Darren Myles | Carver-Atlanta High School |
| Baltimore Ravens | Jack Walsh | Arundel High School |
| Buffalo Bills | Stephen Lian | Brighton High School |
| Carolina Panthers | Andy Capone | Weddington High School |
| Chicago Bears | Darren Sunkett | East St. Louis High School |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Tom Bolden | Lakota West High School |
| Cleveland Browns | Mac Stephens | Cleveland Heights High School |
| Dallas Cowboys | Ray Gates | North Crowley High School |
| *Denver Broncos | *Tim Test | Mountain View High School |
| Detroit Lions | Tom Alward | Goodrich High School |
| Green Bay Packers | Bill Jacklin | Slinger High School |
| Houston Texans | Brandon Ellis | Worthing High School |
| Indianapolis Colts | John Hart | Brownsburg High School |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Marty Lee | First Coast High School |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Chad Frigon | Liberty High School |
| *Las Vegas Raiders | *Jodi Reich | Coronado High School |
| *Los Angeles Chargers | *Rick Hayashida | El Camino Real Charter High School |
| Los Angeles Rams | Travis Clark | Long Beach Wilson |
| Miami Dolphins | Dylan Potts | West Boca Raton Community High School |
| Minnesota Vikings | Dwight Lundeen | Becker High School |
| New England Patriots | Doug Kopcso | Needham High School |
| New Orleans Saints | Rodney Guin | Calvary Baptist Academy |
| New York Giants | Dave Hogan | Chenango Forks High School |
| New York Jets | Andrew Jashyn | William E. Grady High School |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Damon Brockington | Frankford High School |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Duke Johncour | Avonworth High School |
| San Francisco 49ers | Lenny Vandermade | St. Ignatius College Preparatory |
| Seattle Seahawks | Adam Mathieson | Camas High School |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Kirk Karsen | Gaither High School |
| Tennessee Titans | Kyle Shoulders | Macon County High School |
| Washington Commanders | Steve Rapp | Dr. Henry A Wise High School |
*High School Girls Flag
Previous Don Shula Award Winners
- 2010 – Ray Seals, Madison (TX) – Nominated by the Houston Texans
- 2011 – John McKissick, Summerville (SC) – Nominated by the Carolina Panthers
- 2012 – Steve Specht, St. Xavier (OH) – Nominated by the Seattle Seahawks
- 2013 – Mike Grant, Eden Prairie (MN) – Nominated by the Minnesota Vikings
- 2014 – Bruce Larson, Somerset (WI) – Nominated by the Green Bay Packers
- 2015 – Michael Burnett, Tuscarora (VA) – Nominated by the Washington Commanders
- 2016 – Randy Allen, Highland Park (TX) – Nominated by the Dallas Cowboys
- 2017 – Robert Garrett, Crenshaw (CA) – Nominated by the Los Angeles Chargers
- 2018 – Gabe Infante, St. Joseph’s (PA) – Nominated by the Philadelphia Eagles
- 2019 – Matt Land, Dalton (GA) – Nominated by the Atlanta Falcons
- 2020 – Derrick Avery, Booker T. Washington (GA) – Nominated by the Atlanta Falcons
- 2021 – Bob Palko, Mt. Lebanon (PA) – Nominated by the Pittsburgh Steelers
- 2022 – Matt Gallagher, Maine-Endwell (NY) – Nominated by the New York Giants and Clive Harding, Boys and Girls (NY) – Nominated by the New York Jets
- 2023 – Shane Fairfield, Muskegon (MI) – Nominated by the Detroit Lions and Andy Lowry, Columbine (CO) – Nominated by Denver Broncos.
