Muskegon football coach Shane Fairfield: 2023 NFL Don Shula High School Coach of the Year
Muskegon football coach Shane Fairfield was named the NFC representative of the NFL Don Shula High School Coach of the Year Award on Wednesday by the league.
The award is designed to highlight "honor is given to the "high school football coaches that best represent character, integrity, leadership, dedication to the community, commitment to player protection and on-field success," according to an NFL release.
Fairfield was honored at the NFL Pro Bowl Games on Sunday in Orlando, Florida, along with Columbine (Colorado) High School coach Andy Lowry as the AFC representative. The NFL Foundation, in partnership with Nike, will award both coaches with $15,000 grants for each of their programs along with a $10,000 cash prize.
Fairfield, the Free Press’ Coach of the Year for 2023, led the Big Reds to the Division 2 state title in November. The 55-year-old Fairfield has been the head coach at Muskegon since 2010 and has a 154-29 record, including 12-2 last season.
“Coaching is a blessing that allows me to have the ability and opportunity to inspire young people through the game of football that I grew up loving. It truly is a dream job,” Fairfield said in a statement released by the NFL. “These young men come to me with different backgrounds and personalities but to get them to play united as a whole every snap for an entire game week after week is very rewarding. I enjoy being a mentor that young people can count on. Football was a father for me and taught me lessons that a dad is supposed to teach you. These are lessons and skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Muskegon's Shane Fairfield: Don Shula High School Coach of the Year
