Chicago Bears name Sacred Heart-Griffin's Ken Leonard Coach of the Year

Legendary Illinois head football coach Ken Leonard is the 2022 winner of the Chicago Bears Coach of the Year Award. Last month, Leonard finished his coaching career by leading Sacred Heart-Griffin to a 4A state championship.

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus surprised Coach Leonard with the news of the award during a virtual video call with him. Eberflus told Leonard, “I want to say congratulations on a wonderful career, for what you’ve done, not only for the kids you’ve touched, but also the life of all the kids after that.”

Congratulations to Ken Leonard of the @SHGCyclones for being the @ChicagoBears nominee for the Don Shula @NFL High School Coach of the Year!

✔️ 43 years coaching
✔️ 419 wins (most in @IHSA_IL history)
✔️ 6 IHSA Football State Championships pic.twitter.com/dJL85WVUVG
— Chicago Bears (@BearsOutreach) December 15, 2022

Leonard ends his coaching career as the winningest coach in Illinois High School Association history with a record of 419-81. He spent the last 39 years with SHG after beginning his career a Gridley.

This year’s state championship is the sixth overall for Leonard at SHG. He was 6-4 in state championship game appearances with the Springfield school.

Leonard is now the Bears nominee for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award. The Bears will make a $2,000 donation to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin’s football program in Coach Leonard’s honor.

During the season, the Bears also recognized a total of nine coaches as their “Coach of the Week.” All winners will be honored during halftime of this Sunday’s Bears game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Below is an excerpt from the Bears on Coach Leonard in their news release on his award:

Despite his success on the field, he believes the most rewarding experience in his coaching career is having the opportunity to help establish a good path for his student-athletes. Not only has he spent thousands of hours in weight rooms and locker rooms and on football fields teaching young players to excel in football, but he also dedicated time to teaching his athletes to become great people. Many of his past athletes went on to play in college, with a few making it into the NFL, most notably Matt Mitrione (undrafted in 2002), Malik Turner (drafted in 2018) and Albert Okwuegbunam (drafted in 2020). After 43 years of coaching, Leonard can finally say he is satisfied with his career as he engraves an extraordinary legacy for SHG. He now looks forward to starting a new chapter of his life in his retirement with his family.
Chicago Bears