IHSA players now Coaching

[colin2229]

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?

 

[brucealmighy]

Antwaan Randle El is coaching wide receivers for the Lions.

 

[ClownBaby]

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.

 

[USD24]

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

 

[nwfb99]

Tim McGairgle linebackers coach at Northwestern from St Pats

 

[eireog]

Bill Callahan (Mendel) Browns offensive line coach.

 

[missingwalter]

Antwaan Randle El is coaching wide receivers for the Lions.

I really like that coaching staff

 

[crusader_of_90]

Joe Woods, D Coordinator for the Browns, was an ISU DB back when I was down there.

 

[ddterryjr77]

Frisman Jackson Morgan Park Is Pittsburgh Steelers WR Coach

 

[defcoach9]

Greg Lewis Rich South Kansas City Chiefs RB coach
Greg Williams Bolingbrook Arizona Cardinals CB coach
Jeremy Curry Bolingbrook WIU DL coach
Sean Conley Bolingbrook Scout Tampa Bay Bucs

 

[nwfb99]

Tom Zbikowski Buffalo Grove is Western Michigan’s Defensive Quality Control Coach

 

[all4theillini]

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

Bret Bielema - Prophetstown High School.

Illini head coach

 

[USD24]

Bret Bielema - Prophetstown High School.

Illini head coach

Not sure how I forgot about him

 

[RockSoup]

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.

 

[eireog]

Tom Zbikowski Buffalo Grove is Western Michigan’s Defensive Quality Control Coach

I thought he was a Chicago Fireman?

 

[USD24]

Duke Tobin from Hersey is the director of player personnel for the Cincinnati Bengels

 

[penlight]

Not current but Payton & Zimmer recently left the NFL as Head Coaches
..... and Illinois is called a "Basketball State" ......

 

[Quags57]

Scott Tolzien-Fremd- Assistant offensive coach for the Dallas Cowboys

 

[PowerI66]

Jesse Bobbit - Palatine - South Dakota State Safeties Coach

 

[crusader_of_90]

The Black Cat, Terry Hawthorne, is down in Arkansas.

 

[McCaravan]

I thought he was a Chicago Fireman?

I know he was, but with the CFD work schedule a defensive quality control coach sounds like something he can do as a side gig from home. Probably all film breakdown.

 

[McCaravan]

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.

 

[LPCoachDB]

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).

 

[Iluvftbl1]

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

 

[flyerforlife]

Bryan Cox is assistant on NY Giants

 

[all4theillini]

The Black Cat, Terry Hawthorne, is down in Arkansas.

At SIU currently … hopefully he’ll be back in Champaign soon

 

[rocketnation]

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).

Todd was a very good D-3 QB at Knox College. Threw many TD’s to my roommate.

 

[eireog]

The McCaskeys (ND) own the Bears

 

[crusader_of_90]

Oh crap - my teammate, Jimmy Stiebel at Mater Dei.

 

[MalleusMaleficarum]

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!

 

[35Blackhawk42Spartan]

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

@BBoyd also a former member of the NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship, with the Steelers!

 

[Chief321]

Tim Kelly(Marian Catholic) Titans passing game coordinator

 

[nwfb99]

The McCaskeys (ND) own the Bears

Please don’t advertise that

 

[nwfb99]

I thought he was a Chicago Fireman?

He left after 3 years on the job…

 

[johnndoe]

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.

 

[eireog]

He left after 3 years on the job…

You missed Brandon Kreczmer LB coach at W. Illinois. He had done a nice job at Sterling Newman before taking the WIU job. ☘️

 

[USD24]

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.

 

[mullin17]

I know he was, but with the CFD work schedule a defensive quality control coach sounds like something he can do as a side gig from home. Probably all film breakdown.

Tom Zbikowski - Football Coach - Western Michigan University Athletics

Tom Zbikowski Special Teams Analyst

wmubroncos.com

 

[whitesox05]

Former Lake Forest and Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees is offensive coordinator and QB coach at Notre Dame.