Santa Fe football coach nominated for NFL's HS Coach of the Year Award

Santa Fe High School Football Coach Mark Kanipes is seen on the field with his team. (KPRC2)

HOUSTON – Santa Fe High School football coach Mark Kanipes is the Houston Texans nominee for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award.

The award represents the best coaches at the high school level.

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The award is named after Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history.

Coaches are nominated for their "character and integrity, leadership, dedication to the community, commitment to player health and safety and on-field success," according to the league. Each team gets one nominee.

A list of the nominees is below:

“We are honored to celebrate the 32 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year nominees, as each embodies the integrity, commitment and character of Coach Shula,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “High school football coaches not only serve as leaders, but as role models dedicated to shaping the lives of young high school players on and off the field.”

All nominees are invited to the 2019 Pro Bowl in Orlando, Florida, and will be recognized in special ways during the NFL’s weeklong celebration of football.

“It was truly the honor of a lifetime to be recognized as one of the elite high school coaches in the nation,” said Robert Garrett, 2017 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award winner. “As a coach, you never seek individual recognition or accolades and the priority is always helping young men to achieve their highest potential, but being nominated for the Don Shula Coach of the Year Award is special and this year’s nominees should be proud.”

The Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year winner is selected by a panel of distinguished individuals:

  • Pro Football Hall of Famer, Coach Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history
  • 2017 Don Shula NFL Coach of the Year Award Winner, Robert Garrett
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame President, David Baker
  • Former Dallas Cowboys Personnel Director and NFL.com contributor, Gil Brandt
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and current NBC analyst, Tony Dungy
  • Executive Director of USA Football, Scott Hallenbeck
  • Three-time Super Bowl Champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX), Willie McGinest
  • Two-time AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year and current head coach at the Sayre School, Chad Pennington
  • Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl XXXV Champion, Rod Woodson
  • Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution and faculty member at the Stanford Graduate School of Business
  • Aplington-Parkersburg High School Principal, Aaron Thomas, son of the school's late football coach, Ed Thomas

Below is a full list of the 2018 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year nominees. For more information on the NFL Foundation, click here.