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IHSA players now Coaching

C

colin2229

All-Conference
Jul 23, 2005
2,642
1,852
0
Just saw that St Rita alum Mike Kafka has been announced as the offensive play caller for the Giants this year. Got me thinking of which former IL HS player has the most impressive football job currently.

Kafka being a 35yrs old NFL play caller is pretty darn impressive.

Who else comes to mind?
 
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ClownBaby

ClownBaby

Heisman
Oct 26, 2006
23,668
80,656
113
WWS Has a bunch of former players coaching

Tim Lester- HC Western Michigan
Jeff Thorne- OC Western Michigan
Mike Piatowski- QB Eastern Michigan
Jim Nelson- Nickelbacks Fresno State
Matt Balis- ND Head of Strength and Conditioning (Former WWS Strength coach)

If you move down to the local college and high school level the numbers get massive.
 
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U

USD24

All-American
May 29, 2001
5,535
5,388
113
Pat Fitzgerald- NU head coach Former Sandburg LB.
PJ Fleck- Minnesota head coach- former Kaneland WR
Jeff Monken- Army head coach- former Joliet Central player
 
Last edited:
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R

RockSoup

All-Conference
Oct 1, 2009
3,192
4,860
0
2001 St. Rita alum Kevin Carberry is the Los Angeles Rams Offensive Line Coach and won a Super Bowl ring last year in the same position.
 
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U

USD24

All-American
May 29, 2001
5,535
5,388
113
Duke Tobin from Hersey is the director of player personnel for the Cincinnati Bengels
 
Penlight

Penlight

All-Conference
May 29, 2001
2,097
1,056
113
Not current but Payton & Zimmer recently left the NFL as Head Coaches
..... and Illinois is called a "Basketball State" ......
 
McCaravan

McCaravan

All-American
Feb 1, 2016
5,062
7,883
113
Mount Carmel’s Nate Ollie- Indianapolis Colts Defensive line Coach. And Arthur Ray who was an Oline Coach with the Arkansas Razorbacks but recently won a Bill Walsh coaching diversity fellowship with the Jaguars. I don’t know if that is permanent or just for this season, but impressive none the less. Arthur battled his whole life, always came out on top, if not for the cancer he would have been All Big Ten at Michigan State.
 
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L

LPCoachDB

Freshman
Sep 22, 2006
166
92
28
Todd Monken, OC of Georgia Bulldogs, played HS ball at Wheaton North.

His father, Bob, coached at Lake Park for 30 years. Todd's first coaching job was as a Soph. assistant at LP when I was the Soph. HC. (I take NO credit for Todd's rise and success. I just find it amusing that I got to work with him early on).
 
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I

Iluvftbl1

Redshirt
May 19, 2013
74
44
11
Benny Boyd - Dixon / Aurora University
Special Team Coordinator / Corners Coach at Wyoming

Rod Ojong - Oswego East
DB's at Georgia

Corey Connolly - Waubonsie Valley
Special Team Coordinator / OLB's at Ball State

Maurice Fleming - Curie
Corners at University Of Houston

Bill Bedenbaugh - St Charles
OL at Oklahoma

Sean Lewis - Richards
HC at Kent State
 
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R

rocketnation

All-Conference
Aug 12, 2017
1,559
2,411
113
LPCoachDB said:
Todd Monken, OC of Georgia Bulldogs, played HS ball at Wheaton North.

His father, Bob, coached at Lake Park for 30 years. Todd's first coaching job was as a Soph. assistant at LP when I was the Soph. HC. (I take NO credit for Todd's rise and success. I just find it amusing that I got to work with him early on).
Click to expand...
Todd was a very good D-3 QB at Knox College. Threw many TD’s to my roommate.
 
M

MalleusMaleficarum

Junior
Sep 14, 2021
430
383
0
Brendan Daly - SHG
Kansas City Chiefs Linebackers Coach and Run Game Coordinator.

I did not realize what a successful career Brendan has had as an assistant college and NFL coach. So successful as a matter of fact, that Wikipedia has a detailed summary of his coaching career. As an assistant coach in various positions, he has 4 , count 'em, 4 Super Bowl rings - 3 with the New England Patriots and 1 with his current team, the Kansas City Chiefs.

P.S. Coach (Ken) Leonard, his high school coach at SHG, even contacted him regarding what the teams he was with were using to combat players cramping in hot weather. Coach Daly's answer - pickle juice!
 
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3

35Blackhawk42Spartan

Junior
Sep 30, 2019
193
209
0
Iluvftbl1 said:
Benny Boyd - Dixon / Aurora University
Special Team Coordinator / Corners Coach at Wyoming

Rod Ojong - Oswego East
DB's at Georgia

Corey Connolly - Waubonsie Valley
Special Team Coordinator / OLB's at Ball State

Maurice Fleming - Curie
Corners at University Of Houston

Bill Bedenbaugh - St Charles
OL at Oklahoma

Sean Lewis - Richards
HC at Kent State
Click to expand...
@BBoyd also a former member of the NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship, with the Steelers!
 
J

johnndoe

Senior
Oct 19, 2019
1,240
882
113
Ben Kotwica, from Andrew HS in the mid-90s, is now with the Minnesota Vikings continuing to coach in the special teams phase of the game. After playing LB at Army, where he was a team captain, 8 years of military service including the Gulf War followed. Ben has had prior stints with the Jets, Redskins and Falcons in various capacities.
 
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U

USD24

All-American
May 29, 2001
5,535
5,388
113
Chuck Martin from Rich East is the head coach at Miami (OH).

I was on the sidelines as a soph when his Rich East team defeated Joliet Catholic in the playoffs in Gordie Gillespie's last game as the Hilltopper coach.
 
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C

chisox05

Sophomore
Apr 19, 2012
253
131
43
Former Lake Forest and Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees is offensive coordinator and QB coach at Notre Dame.
 
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