Former NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater won a Florida high school state championship on Saturday in his first season as a head coach.
Coaching his alma mater, Miami Northwestern, Bridgewater’s team won 41–0 over previously undefeated Jacksonville Raines in the Class 3A state championship game at Miami’s Pitbull Stadium (on the Florida International campus).
The Bulls finished their season 12–2, outscoring opponents in five playoff games by a combined score of 262–12 on the way to their first state title since 2019. Bridgewater’s team scored at least 40 points in each of those games, winning four of them by shutout.
Miami Northwestern went 4–6 the previous season. Beginning this season 2–2, the Bulls went on to win 10 consecutive games.
“Those kids deserve it,” Bridgewater said, via USA Today. “Those kids stuck with us since February, they trusted the process.
“We just told them, ‘You stay together. You can walk this walk together for the rest of your lives if you win this game,'” he added. “They won it. Ten years from now, when we have practice on Thanksgiving, they’ll come back and reminisce.”
Bridgewater, 32, retired in February, finishing 10 years in the NFL as the backup QB for the Detroit Lions. During his nine seasons, he also played for the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins.
In his NFL career, Bridgewater threw for 15,120 yards and 75 touchdowns in 79 games (65 starts). He was the Vikings’ first-round draft selection (No. 32 overall) out of Louisville in 2014.
He got to work with Miami Northwestern right away, working with players through the winter leading up to spring practice, according to the Palm Beach Post. When fall practices began, Bridgewater had the players stay at the school for six days so they could get to know each other.
“When you’re working with 14-year-olds, 15-year-olds, 16-year-olds, 17-year-olds and coming from the NFL, they won’t get it on the first try,” Bridgewater told the Palm Beach Post. “They won’t get it on the second try. They might not get it on the third, the fourth or fifth. But if you stay patient with them, you really teach them the way to everything, the rest takes care of itself.”
Last month, Bridgewater said, “I can’t wait to return to the NFL” after a state title run, noting how many quarterback jobs were available. Following Miami Northwestern’s victory, he did not comment on what his future plans might be.
