Secondo:
This is a challenging question and tends to fall in the "intellectual property" realm, which usually triggers emotions which cloud effective judgement.
I will, however, offer what I think will be interpreted as a non-biased opinion.
Three which impress me:
Rob Zvonar, Lincoln Way East: LWE opened its doors fifteen years ago and Zvonar has qualified for the playoffs
every year since. He has won an impressive 80 percent of his games, won a state title and has one runner-up in 2012. This has been accomplished against some fairly difficult competition in the SWSB with H-F, Brook and occasional challenges from Sandburg and Lockport.
His record is nothing to sneeze at.
Famous Hulbert, Proviso West: Although Hulbert has struggled in the past few years, he guided PW to the post-season four-consecutive years between 2009-2012, winning several first-round games. Prior to Hulbert's arrival, PW's football fortunes were at ebb and was nothing short of an utter calamity: Before he took the reins, the Panthers had
five winning seasons, but had not qualified for the playoffs dating back to 1961.
While this is not the first time this subject has been broached on this forum, CrossBones mentioned once his difficulty in reconciling whether it is more difficult to build a power from circumstances such as Zvonar at LWE, where there was no tradition due to a new school, or accepting the challenge of taking an absolutely moribund program and resuscitating it when the apathy exceeds the walls of the building. Hulbert certainly has accomplished a significant feat bringing a winner to where winning is simply foreign.
Hulbert has not won a title, but he has acquitted himself as an impressive coach.
Dan Appino, Rockford Auburn: It is unnecessary to re-count his success at Boylan, but at Auburn, he has taken an abysmal football program to new, unseen heights. Prior to his arrival, Auburn knew
seven winning seasons back to 1960. Appino guided Auburn to the quarterfinals this year and achieved a 10-2 record.
Look where Boylan rests now.
Although unrelated by level only, the single-greatest program building in my lifetime is Bill Snyder at Kansas State. In 1988, faced with pitiful football programs at both Kansas and KSU, the Kansas State Board of Regents weighed
dropping football from both schools. They bypassed dropping from the Big-8 and entering a new conference; they rejected dropping down to D-II; and they went straight for eliminating the programs altogether. This was the problem-solving method for a university system which relies almost exclusively on revenue to fund athletic operations from a single sport such as football. KU hired Glen Mason and KSU hired Snyder.
At KSU, Snyder has complied a record of 193-100-1. Snyder retired in 2005, saw the program go 17-20 in his absence, returned in 2009 and re-built the program once again.
ne could have made a big run but horrible coaching done them in(beating Richards but losing to St.Joe) another could have made a run too(beating conference champ by 3 touchdowns Rich East but losing to Oak Lawn).A excellent football player who left Argo to go to Richards told me that he learned more in 1 week at Richards that he did at years at Argo.I recall going to games at Argo seeing a fantastic soph team they had and bragging on the QB.The mom of the kid was right across from me and thanked me.She also told me that unless the Coach were fired that her son would not be playing because she & her son did not care for him(pg version) 2 other parents who had some awesome sons also chipped in saying they wouldn't play for him and both were asked to move up to varsity but they refused