The Twin Cities are dotted with high school football coaches who played the game themselves, some at the highest level it's played. Here's a look at a dozen:
They played the game: A dozen Minnesota high school football coaches with NFL, college pasts
Cooper's Willie Howard was with the Vikings, Cretin-Derham Hall's Steve Walsh with six pro teams, and several ex-Gophers are on the list.
September 9, 2022 at 3:27PM
Steve Walsh, Cretin-Derham Hall: Helped the Raiders back to prominence in the early 1980s and was a high school All-America in 1984. Went on to quarterback Miami to a college national championship in 1987 and played for six teams and threw for 7,875 career yards in a 10-year NFL career.
Marcus Harris, Breck: A graduate of Brooklyn Center, he became an award-winning collegiate receiver at Wyoming. He had three years with more than 1,400 yards receiving and won the 1996 Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver.
Willie Howard, Cooper: An All-Pac-10 defensive lineman at Stanford, he was a second-round selection of the Vikings in 2001 and and played for two seasons before his career was cut short by a knee injury. He recently added the title of activities director at Cooper.
Bo Wasurick, Anoka: A native of the Green Bay, Wis., area, Wasurick was a tight end for the Gophers from 1995 through 1998. He caught one pass in his career, a 5-yarder in 1997. He has coached for 23 years since, with stops in Wisconsin, Texas and Minnesota.
James Manuel, Irondale: A graduate of Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Manuel played for the Gophers from 2010 through 2013. He was recruited as a safety, a position he played for two years before moving to linebacker for his junior and senior seasons. Had 40 tackles as a safety, 103 tackles and a pick-six as a linebacker.
Sean McMenomy, Benilde-St. Margaret's: The Rosemount native was a hard-hitting cornerback for the Gophers from 1992 though 1996. Since graduation, he's been a head coach at Minneapolis Southwest and DeLaSalle and at schools in North Carolina and Oregon.
Justin McDonald, North St. Paul: The Polars' first-year coach and a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., he is making his maiden voyage through Minnesota's weather. He was a linebacker at Central Florida, graduating in 2016.
Five others who played football in college
Mike Grant, Eden Prairie: tight end, St. John's
Beau LaBore, Stillwater: linebacker, St. John's
Ray Betton, Shakopee: running back, Bemidji State
Jared Essler, St. Michael-Albertville: free safety, North Dakota State
Ryan Weinandt, Dassel-Cokato: defensive end, St. John's
