Former NFL QB Teddy Bridgewater named coach of HS alma mater

Former NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who lately retired after a decade within the league, has been named head coach at Miami Northwestern Senior Excessive College, his alma mater.

Miami Northwestern athletic director Andre Williams confirmed the rent to ESPN. He added that Bridgewater, 31, who starred on the college earlier than transferring on to Louisville and the NFL, has been a gentle presence across the program and hoped to educate there for a while. Bridgewater, a 2014 first-round draft choose of the Minnesota Vikings, performed for seven NFL groups, most lately the Detroit Lions. He instructed the Detroit Free Press in December that he would retire after the season and deliberate to educate highschool soccer.

“Teddy, he is by no means left the college,” Williams stated. “Since he is been within the NFL the final 10 years and positively in school, he was all the time on the college through the offseason, figuring out with the younger males, giving them his data of the sport. He is by no means left the college, so we’re simply formally bringing him again as the pinnacle coach.”

Williams stated Bridgewater first talked about the opportunity of teaching Miami Northwestern 5 to seven years in the past. The varsity had a training emptiness after parting methods with Michaelee Harris following a 4-6 season final fall.

Welcome Our New Head Coach Teddy Bridgewater. 💙💛🤘🏾🐂 pic.twitter.com/V1FdW5QB3V

— Miami Northwestern_FB (@mnw_fb) February 2, 2024

Bridgewater is already on the college, assembly with the group’s returning gamers and different coaches, based on Williams. He had 6,712 passing yards and 70 touchdowns at Miami Northwestern earlier than transferring onto Louisville, the place he earned Large East Rookie of the 12 months honors and received Sugar Bowl MVP after guiding the Cardinals previous Florida as a junior.

Regardless of struggling a extreme knee harm with the Vikings earlier than the 2016 season and different accidents, Bridgewater began 65 video games in his NFL profession and completed with 15,120 passing yards, 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions. He began a lot of the 2014 and 2015 seasons for Minnesota, in addition to 2020 in Carolina and 2021 in Denver.

Williams stated Miami Northwestern acquired sturdy curiosity for its teaching emptiness however zeroed in on Bridgewater, whom he thinks acquired curiosity from schools about potential teaching jobs.

“I wasn’t involved as a result of he is all the time expressed that he wished to return again in coach at his alma mater, Northwestern, and he was all the time current,” Williams stated. “He is a really humble younger man. He very seldom exhibits his feelings, however I am positive he was extraordinarily excited. He talked about that he was attempting to carry his composure within the announcement not too way back.”

Williams, who additionally performed quarterback at Miami Northwestern within the Eighties, bonded with Bridgewater over that connection and others. He thinks Bridgewater will mentor gamers effectively, each in soccer and of their different pursuits.

“It means a fantastic deal,” Williams stated. “He is a proud member of this neighborhood. He is aware of the atmosphere, he is aware of the college, he is aware of the custom, he is aware of about all these guys that got here earlier than. I used to be shocked that after I first met him, he knew I used to be quarterback at Northwestern within the ’80s.

“So he understands the significance of it, however extra importantly, he understands it is not nearly wins and losses for me and for the college and for the neighborhood.”