For the second year in a row, the Chicago Bears have chosen a coach with the last name of Leonard as their Don Shula Award nominee. Rochester High’s Derek Leonard is this year’s nominee after being name the team’s Coach of the Year. Last year, Derek’s father Ken Leonard was the NFL team’s Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Don Shula High School Coach of the Year Award.
NFL Play Football Podcast with Ken Leonard, Chicago Bears ’22 Coach of the Year
Derek Leonard led Rochester to the Illinois 4A state title this past season. It was the school’s ninth overall state title.
Coach Leonard is a perfect 9-0 in state title games. His father Ken won six state championship and retired at the end of the ’22 season as the state’s all-time winningest football coach.
