Becker High head coach Dwight Lundeen, who last August won his 400th high school football game, is the 2024 Minnesota Vikings‘ nominee for the prestigious Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award.
Lundeen, who started the Becker program in 1970, led the school to its fourth overall state championship in November with a 24-8 win over Totino-Grace in the Class 4A championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Vikings.
In Week 1 of the 2024 season, Coach Lundeen was named the Vikings Coach of the Week.
Related: 2024 Vikings Coach of the Week Winners
Earlier this week, the NFL announced that Lundeen and 31 other coaches were in the running for the Shula Award, named after Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history.
The finalists 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.
The NFL will recognize one winner from each conference, AFC and NFC. The two winners will be invited to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, Florida on Sunday, February 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.
Lundeen’s all-time record is 412-167-3. He’s second on the all-time wins list in Minnesota behind Mike Mahlen of Verndale, who has 437 wins.
