1/24/26
The NFL’s Don Shula High School Coach of the Year Award is given to the best in coaching at the high school level. According to the NFL, the coaches nominated “are judged based upon areas in which Coach Shula excelled during his career — character, integrity, leadership, dedication to the community, commitment to player health and safety and on-field success.”
32 coaches from around the country in the areas of NFL teams are nominated, and one winner from both the AFC and NFC will be announced the week before the 2026 Pro Bowl Games and Super Bowl LX. The winner receives VIP access, accommodation, on-field access for the Pro Bowl Games, and more. Jersey Mike’s will provide the programs of the winning coaches with $15,000, and the winning coaches get $10,000 cash. The other 30 nominees get a $1,000 cash reward.
Monte Kohler, the head football coach and athletic director at O’Dea, is the nominee for the Seattle Seahawks. Coach Kohler just led O’Dea to their second straight state football championship, something he hadn’t done in 30 years. Coach Kohler is the only coach in Washington high school football history to win 400 or more games, and this season, broke Sid Otton’s record for most wins in the state’s history, when he won his 395th game against Rainier Beach in September. Coach Kohler currently has 406 career wins, a subtle and unintentional nod to his start in high school football. Coach Kohler began his high school coaching career in Montana, where he coached for 3 years, and the area code for the entire state is 406.
Coach Kohler is one of, if not the greatest, high school coaches the state has ever seen. He’s influenced a multitude of professional athletes, not just in football, but in many other sports. With Don Shula holding the NFL record for most total wins, it would only be fitting if Coach Kohler brings home the Don Shula High School Coach of the Year Award.
Click here for more on the Don Shula High School Coach of the Year Award.
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