Scott Keyes
Sports Scene
The laundry list of awards continues to grow for the Ithaca High School football team.
Less than two weeks after guiding the Yellowjackets to their 42nd straight win and third consecutive Division 6 championship, Ithaca head coach Terry Hessbrook was awarded the 2012 Detroit Lions Coach of the Year award, presented by the Michigan National Guard.
In a surprise assembly December 9 in Ithaca, Hessbrook was presented the award by the Lions’ Director of Youth Football, Chris Fritzsching.
Hessbrook was humbled by the award.
“The reason we are able to do what we do every year is because of you the fans,” he said. “This has been an amazing run. Wow. 42 games in a row. Who would have ever believed that? This is truly an amazing honor.”
After Hessbrook led his Yellowjackets to a 37-27 victory over Constantine November 23 in the Division 6 Michigan High School Football State Championship at Ford Field, the Ithaca native continues to rewrite the record books at the state and national levels.
With this victory, Ithaca has won three straight state championships in Division 6 and has become the first football program in state history to win a state championship in three seasons with undefeated records. Ithaca has 42 straight victories and currently has the fourth-longest winning streak in state history.
Hessbrook is now in his 17th season coaching at Ithaca and 9th as head coach. He has amassed a record of 87-17 at Ithaca and was named a Detroit Lions High School Coach of the Week in 2010.
Now Hessbrook can add his name to the elite coaches in Michigan that have won the Coach of the Year award.
“You come into a season with the mindset of winning a state championship,” Hessbrook said. “You always want to improve on last year’s mark. To watch a group of young men walk off the field as champions is pretty special. To be able to do it three times in a row is overwhelming, but it has definitely been a fun ride.”
Coach of the Week/Year Program
Each week throughout the nine-week 2012 high school football regular season, the coach that best developed his players’ character, discipline, and football skill, in addition to emphasizing player health and safety, was recognized for his commitment to the team, school, and community. The winner was selected by a panel of high school football media members—Mick McCabe (Detroit Free Press), Hugh Bernreuter (Saginaw News), Bret Bakita (107.3 FM-WBBL/Grand Rapids), and Scott DeCamp (Mlive.com/Kalamazoo).
This season’s program awarded $22,000 to aid in the development and promotion of high school football in the state of Michigan thanks to contributions from the Detroit Lions, the National Football League, and presenting sponsor, Michigan National Guard.
Each winning coach throughout the regular season received a $2,000 donation to his school’s football program. All weekly winners will be honored at an awards ceremony during the Lions-Bears game at Ford Field on December 30. During the ceremony, the Lions will also introduce Hessbrook as the High School Coach of the Year. Hessbrook will receive a $4,000 donation to his team’s football program.
In addition to the monetary award, all winners receive a certificate signed by Lions’ head coach Jim Schwartz and National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell. Winning coaches also receive a personalized game ball and a Detroit Lions “Coach of the Week/Year” hat.
Concluding its 16th year, the Detroit Lions High School Coach of the Week/Year program has awarded $312,000 to high school football programs throughout the state of Michigan.