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John Hart, Bill Jacklin named NFL Don Shula High School Coach of the Year winners

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby: Lawrence Fernandez01/30/25lawandfern
2024 NFL Don Shula High School Coach of the Year John Hart
Brownsburg Bulldogs head coach John Hart talks with the team at Brownsburg High School in Brownsburg, Ind., Saturday, August 29, 2020. (© Grace Hollars/Indianapolis Star via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

The NFL named John Hart and Bill Jacklin as the Don Shula National High School Coach of the Year winners. Hart, the Indianapolis Colts’ nominee, will represent the AFC, while Jacklin (nominated by the Green Bay Packers), will be the NFC representative.

As part of their winnings, Hart and Jacklin will attend the Pro Bowl Games and Super Bowl LIX. They will also have their red-carpet moment during the NFL Honors on February 6. Likewise, they will each receive a $10,000 cash prize and an additional $15,000 grant for their respective schools. Nike and the NFL Foundation are responsible for the grants.

Hart led the Brownsburg Bulldogs to their first state championship since 1985, defeating Westfield 22-17. That victory culminated a season wherein they went 13-1 and defeated elite Indiana teams like Ben Davis and Lawrence North.

Hart has been Brownsburg’s head coach since 2016, and he has an 82-19 record with the Bulldogs. Winning the state title helped Brownsburg finish as the number one team in the Indiana On3 Composite Team Rankings. Meanwhile, the victory is extra special for Hart because it comes before his wife, Janet, undergoes an operation for her breast cancer diagnosis.

Meanwhile, Jacklin led the Slinger Owls to an undefeated season, capped off by winning their second state championship. Slinger also finished at the top of the Wisconsin On3 Composite Team Rankings. In addition to being High School Coach of the Year, Jacklin also teaches fourth graders at Wisconsin’s Addison Elementary School.

All NFL teams nominated a candidate who exemplified leadership, integrity, and achievement. Those are the values that Don Shula, the NFL’s winningest coach, manifested throughout his 33-season head coaching career. From the nominees, a panel that included Scott Pioli, Tony Dungy, and Peyton Manning selected one winner per conference.

The NFL established the Don Shula High School Coach of the Year award in 2010. However, it became an exclusive award for high school coaches a year later as part of the first-ever NFL Honors. Hart is the first winner nominated by the Colts while Jacklin is the second winner nominated by Green Bay, following 2014 winner Bruce Larson.