Highland Park's Randy Allen named NFL High School Coach of the Year
Randy Allen of Highland Park High School in Dallas has been selected as the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year.
The award was created to honor high school football coaches who demonstrate a commitment to player health and safety, and the integrity, achievement and leadership exemplified by the winningest coach in NFL history, Don Shula.
Nominated by the Cowboys, Allen was one of two finalists from a group of coaches nominated by NFL teams. As the national Shula Award winner, Allen will receive $25,000 from the NFL Foundation, $15,000 of which will go to his school's football program. He will be a guest of the league this week in Houston and will attend NFL Honors, the two-hour prime-time TV special during which The Associated Press will announce its individual award recipients, including MVP.
Allen has coached at Highland Park for 18 years and recently led the Scots to a 5A Division 1 state championship. It marked the Scots' second state championship under Allen, who coached current Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford to a state title in 2005, and currently coaches the grandchildren of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
"Randy is someone that I respect and admire greatly," Jones says. "He is a man who understands the fundamental responsibility of being a high school football coach, and that is to build character and shape young lives. He teaches integrity and life lessons as well as he does the X's and O's, and he is very successful builder of character."
The runner-up was Green Bay nominee Steve Jones, head coach at Kimberly (Wisc.) High School, who will receive $15,000 from the NFL Foundation, $10,000 of which will go to his school's football program.
