For the first time, the National Football League will honor two high school football coaches with the 2022 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award. Instead of having just one winner, the NFL will name an AFC and a NFC winner this year.
Every NFL nominated a coach, with the winners will be chosen from that list. The coaches were recognized by their local NFL club for the prestigious award – named after Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history. The coaches were judged based on areas Coach Shula excelled at most during his career – character, integrity, leadership, dedication to the community, commitment to player health and safety and on-field success.
“We are honored to celebrate the 32 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year nominees, as each embodies the integrity, commitment and character of Coach Shula,” said Roman Oben, Vice President of Football Development. “High school football coaches serve as leaders and role models dedicated to shaping the lives of young high school players both on and off the field and this group represents the very best from across the country every year.”
These two winners will be invited to the Pro Bowl Games in Las Vegas on February 5 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 AFC and NFC teams, on-field access at Sunday’s 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 with a $15,000 award to their high school football programs and a $10,000 cash award. The other 30 club nominees will all receive a $1,000 cash award. They will also attend Super Bowl LVII in Arizona as special guests of the NFL. The Don Shula Award winners will be announced in the week prior to the Pro Bowl Games, the multi-day AFC vs. NFC competition that will culminate in an action-packed flag game, featuring Pro Bowl players at Allegiant Stadium and will air on ESPN and ABC on February 5. The winners will also be recognized and walk the red carpet at the 12th annual NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on February 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET on FOX.
The Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year winner is selected by a panel of distinguished individuals:
- Tony Dungy, Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach and current NBC analyst
- Scott Hallenbeck, Executive Director of USA Football
- Peyton Manning, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and current ESPN contributor
- Roman Oben, Super Bowl XXXVII champion and NFL Vice President of Football Development
- Scott Pioli, NFL analyst and former front-office executive
- Michael Robinson, NFL Legend and NFL Network analyst
- Dave Shula, NFL Legend, former NFL head coach and son of the late Coach Shula
- Bobby Taylor, former All-Pro cornerback and NFL Strategic Advisor for Football Development
- Aaron Thomas, Aplington-Parkersburg High School Principal and son of the school’s late football coach, Ed Thomas
Below is a full list of the 2022 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year nominees:
| NOMINATING NFL TEAM | COACH | HIGH SCHOOL |
| Arizona Cardinals | Chris McDonald | Basha |
| Atlanta Falcons | Tony Lotti | Apalachee |
| Baltimore Ravens | Kyle Schmitt | Archbishop Spalding |
| Buffalo Bills | Steve McDuffie | Bennett |
| Carolina Panthers | Jimmy Teague | Reidsville |
| Chicago Bears | Ken Leonard | Sacred Heart-Griffin |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Andre Parker | Princeton |
| Cleveland Browns | Chuck Kyle | St. Ignatius |
| Dallas Cowboys | Chad Cole | Reedy |
| Denver Broncos | Blair Hubbard | Broomfield |
| Detroit Lions | Tyrone Spencer | Detroit Martin Luther King Jr. |
| Green Bay Packers | Andrew Selgrad | Columbus |
| Houston Texans | Wade Miller | Uvalde |
| Indianapolis Colts | Eric Moore | Center Grove |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Robert Shields | Baldwin |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Bryan DeLong | Center |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Brent Lewis | Moapa Valley |
| Los Angeles Chargers | Joe Torres | King/Drew Magnet |
| Los Angeles Rams | Stephen Barbee | Long Beach Poly |
| Miami Dolphins | Jube Joseph | Miami Central |
| Minnesota Vikings | Chris Mensen | Simley |
| New England Patriots | John Rafferty | Wakefield Memorial |
| New Orleans Saints | Marcus Scott | Destrehan |
| New York Giants | Matt Gallagher | Maine-Endwell |
| New York Jets | Clive Harding | Boys and Girls |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Mike St. Clair | Bayard Rustin |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Jon LeDonne | Pine-Richland |
| San Francisco 49ers | Phil Ferrigno | Abraham Lincoln |
| Seattle Seahawks | Jason Ronquillo | Yelm |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Mark Buchanan | Indian Rocks Christian |
| Tennessee Titans | Lamar Brown | West |
| Washington Commanders | Larry Choates | John R. Lewis |
Past Winners of the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award
2021 – Bob Palko, Mt. Lebanon HS (Pennsylvania), nominated by the Pittsburgh Steelers
2020 – Derrick Avery, Booker T. Washington (Georgia), nominated by the Atlanta Falcons
2019 – Matt Land, Dalton HS (Georgia), nominated by the Atlanta Falcons
2018 – Gabe Infante, St. Joseph’s Prep (Pennsylvania), nominated by the Philadelphia Eagles
2017 – Robert Garrett, Crenshaw (California), nominated by the Los Angeles Chargers
2016 – Randy Allen, Highland Park (Texas), nominated by the Dallas Cowboys
2015 – Michael Burnett, Tuscarora (Virginia), nominated by the Washington Football Team
2014 – Bruce Larson, Somerset (Wisconsin), nominated by the Green Bay Packers
2013 – Mike Grant, Eden Prairie (Minnesota), nominated by the Minnesota Vikings
2012 – Steve Specht, St. Xavier (Ohio), nominated by the Seattle Seahawks
2011 – John McKissick, Summerville (South Carolina), nominated by the Carolina Panthers
2010 – Ray Seals, Madison (Texas), nominated by the Houston Texans
