The following is from the Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions have named Tyrone Spencer of Detroit Martin Luther King High School the week eight recipient of the 2021 High School Football Coach of the Week Program. Spencer’s Crusaders were down 15-0 at halftime and came back to defeat rival Detroit Cass Tech 21-15 for the 2nd time this season and win the Detroit Public School League championship to move to 7-1 on the season. King is currently ranked No. 1 in Division 3. On Friday, October 22, King hosts Ohio powerhouse Cincinnati Moeller for the first game in a home and home series.
Spencer, a 2003 King graduate, is in his 6th season as head coach at Martin Luther King, having spent the prior five years as an assistant. He also spent time as a student assistant at Wayne State in 2007 and as the JV head coach at Ferndale in 2009. Spencer led the Crusaders to the Division 2 State Championship in 2016, the Division 3 State Championship in 2018 and the Division 2 state runner-up in 2019. Spencer’s career record is 59-14 (80.8%).
Detroit Lions Football Education sat down with Tyrone Spencer and King athletic director Barry Cannon to talk about football rivalries and powerhouse football programs. Spencer was also informed of his Coach of the Week selection on Head Coach Hangout.
Click here to watch an interview with Coach Spencer on the Lions Head Coach Hangout
High School Football Coach of the Week Program
In 2021, during the nine-week Michigan High School football regular season, one coach that best develops his players’ character, discipline, and football skill in addition to emphasizing player health and safety in their program, will be recognized for his commitment to the team, school, and community. Each weekly winner is selected by a panel of high school football media members – Mick McCabe (Detroit Free Press), Hugh Bernreuter (MLive-Saginaw News), Bret Bakita (WOOD Radio-106.9 FM, ESPN 96.1 FM-Fox 17/Grand Rapids), James Cook (Traverse City Record-Eagle), Scott DeCamp (MLive-Muskegon Chronicle) and the Lions Director of Football Education, Chris Fritzsching.
The 2021 program will award $12,000 to aid in the development and promotion of high school football in the state of Michigan, thanks to contributions from the Detroit Lions and the NFL Foundation.
Each winning coach during the regular season receives a $1,000 donation to his school’s football program. At the conclusion of the Michigan High School Football season, the Lions will select the High School Football Coach of the Year. The Coach of the Year receives a $3,000 donation to his school’s football program.
Currently in its’ 25th season, the Detroit Lions High School Coach of the Week/Year program has awarded $467,000 to high school football programs throughout the state of Michigan.
For more information on the Detroit Lions High School Coach of the Week/Year program, contact Chris Fritzsching, Lions’ Director of Football Education, at [email protected].
2021 Detroit Lions Coach of the Week winners
Week 7 – Jeremy Ferman – North Branch
Week 6 – Bill DeFillippo, Livonia Churchill
Week 5 – Tim Swore, Carson City Crystal
Week 4 – Brad Zube, Ortonville-Brandon
Week 3 – Derek McLaughlin, Riverview
Week 2 – Cary Harger, Oakridge
Week 1 – Greg Vaughan, Traverse City West
All-Time Coach of the Year recipients:
1997-John Herrington, Farmington Hills Harrison, 1998-Thomas Mach, Detroit Catholic Central, 1999-Don Durrett, Saginaw, 2000-Herb Brogan, Jackson Lumen Christi, 2001-John Schwartz, Mendon, 2002-Mike Boyd, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, 2003-Scot Shaw, Three Rivers, 2004-Noel Dean, Lowell, 2005-Jack Pratt, Flint Powers, 2006-Tony Annese, Muskegon, 2007-Jim Reynolds, Detroit King, 2008-Peter Stuursma. East Grand Rapids, 2009-Rich Hulkow, Marshall, 2010-Chris Bell, Lake Orion, 2011-Thomas Wilcher, Detroit Cass Tech, 2012-Terry Hessbrook, Ithaca, 2013-Kurt Richardson, Clarkston, 2014-Dan Rohn, Grand Rapids West Catholic, 2015-John Shillito, Zeeland West, 2016-Elliot Uzelac, Benton Harbor, 2017-Mike Giannone, Warren De La Salle, 2018-Rick Bailey, Reading, 2019-Jim Ahern, Lansing Catholic, 2020-Rob Zimmerman, DeWitt
