With a number of high school football coaching legends retiring last year, there is a tremendous amount of pressure on coaches at schools like
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.),
Lakeland (Fla.), and
St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) to continue the winning tradition.
So far so good at Mater Dei, where first-year coach Frank McManus has the Monarchs ranked No. 1 in the nation, a spot they held six times under previous coach Bruce Rollinson.
Marvin Frazier is off to a 3-2 start at Lakeland, where he replaces Florida's all-time winningest coach Bill Castle, who retired last year with a record of 474-97.
Then there's Ryan Franzinger, whose St. Ignatius team is 1-5 to start the year. Franzinger replaced the retired Chuck Kyle, who won four national championships in his 40 years at the Cleveland school.
Whenever a new coach takes over for a coaching legend, the new mentor faces the prospect of becoming a George Seifert or a Phil Bengtson. Seifert, the defensive coordinator for many years under legendary head coach Bill Walsh, replaced Walsh, who stepped down after winning his third Super Bowl in 1989. Seifert went on to a 98-30 record with two Super Bowls in his eight seasons as the head coach of the 49ers.
Bengtson was handed the reins of the Green Bay Packers dynasty following the retirement of Vince Lombardi, who won five NFL championships. Bengtson lasted three years with the Packers and finished third in the division three straight times with an overall record of 20-21-1.
Following are 10 high school coaches who took the route of Seifert following the retirement of the school's legendary head coach.
Tim Buchanan prepares to lead Aledo on to the field for the Class 5A Division I state championship game last December in Texas, his last as the program's head coach. Buchanan was 8-0 in state championship games. (Photo: Robbie Rakestraw)
Washington (Massillon, Ohio)
The Legend — Leo Strang, 1958-63During his six-year run with the Tigers, Strang produced a pair of national championship teams, as ranked by National Sports News Service, in 1959 and 1961. He had a record of 54-7 with three state championships before moving on to coach at Kent State.
The Successor — Earle Bruce (1964-65)After successful stops at
Salem and
Sandusky, Bruce took over from Strang in 1964 at Washington. All he did was go 10-0 in back-to-back seasons, win two state championships and finish No. 2 in the national rankings by the NSNS both seasons. Bruce joined the Ohio State coaching staff in 1966 and eventually became the head coach in 1979, replacing Woody Hayes. He won four Big Ten championships in nine seasons. His high school coaching record was 82-12-3.
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)
The Legend — Bob Ladouceur, 1979-2012Ladouceur's resume is long and impressive. He won 399 games and lost just 25. He had a winning streak of 151 straight games. His teams claimed 10 national championships including six in a row from 1998 to 2003.
The Successor — Justin Alumbaugh, 2013-presentWhile the Spartans haven't racked up huge consecutive win totals under Alumbaugh, they continue to win championships at all levels. With a record of 113-16 in 10 seasons, Alumbaugh has a pair of national championships (2014 and 2015), two state championships and six other state championship bowl game appearances.
The Legend — George Smith, 1975-2010Smith coached the Raiders for 34 seasons, won six state championships and finished his career with 361 wins and just 66 losses. He also won a pair of national championships in 2008 and 2010.
The Successor — Rocco Casullo, 2011-14Casullo only spent four seasons with the Raiders as a head coach but managed to win a pair of state championships and post a 49-10 overall record. He stepped down after his 2014 team went 15-1 and finished No. 8 in the MaxPreps Top 25. He currently coaches at Coral Glades.
Chandler (Ariz.)The Legend — Shaun Aguano, 2011-18In eight seasons at Chandler, Aquano posted an 88-19 record with the Wolves, which included four state championships. He left Chandler to be the running backs coach at Arizona State.
The Successor — Rick Garrettson, 2019-presentIn four seasons, Garrettson has won a pair of state championships and started his head coaching career with 33 straight wins. He has a record of 49-5 including a 5-0 start and a No. 1 ranking in Arizona this year.
Katy (Texas)The Legend — Mike Johnston, 1982-2003A member of the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame, Johnston coached 22 years at Katy and finished with a 200-75 record to go with three state championships. He later coached at Houston Christian.
The Successor — Gary Joseph, 2004-presentJoseph has taken Katy to new heights, winning five state championships, three 16-0 seasons and a record of 255-24. He also won national championships in 2012 and 2015.
Aledo (Texas)The Legend — Tim Buchanan, 1994-2013In 20 seasons, Buchanan racked up double-digit wins 16 times with five state championships and two 16-0 seasons. He stepped down in 2013 to become the school's athletic director.
The Successor — Steve Wood, 2014-18The defensive coordinator for Buchanan, Wood stepped in as head coach in 2014 and the Bearcats didn't miss a beat. Aledo went 75-4 in five seasons with three state championships and two 16-0 seasons.
The Successor Part 2 — Tim Buchanan, 2019-22Buchanan switched places with Wood in 2019, becoming the head coach once again while Wood took over athletic director duties. The Bearcats continue to be one of the top teams in Texas with three more state titles in Buchanan's most recent seasons. Buchanan retired following the 2022 season with a career record of 281-57-3.
North Shore (Houston, Texas)The Legend — David Aymond, 1994-2013Aymond earned a spot in the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame after 200 wins at North Shore, which included 78 consecutive regular season wins, 20 playoff berths and a state championship (15-0) in 2003.
The Successor — John Kay, 2014-22Before taking a job with Rice following the 2022 season, Kay had taken North Shore to the next level as part of the regime after Aymond. Kay posted a record of 117-18 that included four state championships and a national championship in 2018.
Allen (Texas)The Legend — Tom Westerburg, 2004-15Before leaving Allen for Barbers Hill, Westerberg won four state championships, including three in a row with Kyler Murray at quarterback. His career record at Allen was 148-17.
The Successor — Terry Gambill, 2016-20In his five seasons as head coach at Allen, Gambill won five district championships, never lost a regular season game and had a record of 65-4 with a state championship in 2017.
The Legend — Frank Lenti, 1985-2017
Lenti won 12 state championships in his 34 years with the Caravan and posted a record of 372-77.
The Successor — Jordan Lynch, 2018-23
The Caravan are 56-7 under Lynch, who finished third in the Hesiman Trophy voting while playing in college at Northern Illinois. Lynch has a pair of state championships and is currently riding a 19-game win streak.
Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte, N.C.)
The Legend — Jim Oddo, 1973-2013Oddo spent 41 years as a coach, all at Charlotte Catholic, and finished with a record of 358-145-2 while leading his team to three state championships.
The Successor — Mike Brodowicz, 2014-22
The defensive coordinator under Oddo, Brodowicz retired after the 2022 season with a record of 110-15 with five state championships.
