Sheridan High School football coach nominated for NFL award

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Sheridan High School football head coach Larry “Bud” Wright has accomplished a lot in his career.

After all, he just wrapped up his 58th season of coaching high school football.

This week, he learned he’ll have a chance to receive another award after being named the Colts Coach of the Year.

As a result of the award, Wright is now a nominee for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award.

There are 32 nominees overall, one coach selected by each NFL team.

“It is exciting to celebrate the nominees from each NFL club; all 32 represent the integrity, commitment and character of Coach Don Shula,” Roman Oben, vice president of football development, said in a news release. “High school football coaches help mold the lives of young high school players both on and off the field. They serve as leaders and role models, and this group represents the very best every year.”

“The coaches were judged based on areas in which Coach Shula excelled most during his career – character, integrity, leadership, dedication to the community, commitment to player health and safety and on-field success,” according to a news release from the NFL.

Wright took over the Sheridan football program in 1966 and has led the program to a record of 457-213, which also includes nine state championships.

The 457 coaching victories rank ninth in the country.

Last season, Wright led Sheridan to a 10-4 overall record. The Blackhawks’ season ended in the semi-state round of the IHSAA 1A Playoffs.

The NFL will select two winners for the award – one winner from an AFC team and one from an NFC team. Both of those winners will be invited to the 2024 Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, Florida, and Super Bowl LVII in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The winners will also each “receive a $10,000 personal prize and a $15,000 grant from the NFL Foundation for their football program. The other 30 nominees will receive a $1,000 prize,” according to the NFL.