Five High School Coaches Earn AFCA Regional Power of Influence Award
November 30, 2023
Five of the best high school coaches in the nation highlight today’s announcement of the 2023 AFCA Regional Power of Influence Award winners. This award is given jointly by the American Football Coaches Association® and the American Football Coaches Foundation®. These winners will be honored during the 2024 AFCA Convention, which will be held on January 7-10, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee.
This is the fifth year that the AFCA has recognized regional winners for the Power of Influence Award. The award was created as a way for the AFCA® and AFCF® to honor deserving high school football coaches. Coaches who receive this award are recognized for their impact on their team, as well as the legacy they leave with the school and surrounding community. This award is not based on wins and losses; however, it should be noted that coaches of powerful influence have longevity and success. The winners are selected by members of the AFCF Board of Directors.
2023 AFCA/AFCF Regional Power of Influence Award winners are: Region 1: Gerry Gallagher, Delbarton (N.J.) School; Region 2: Rodney Saulsberry Sr., Whitehaven (Tenn.) High School; Region 3: Kurt Tippmann, Snider (Ind.) High School; Region 4: Lee Wiginton, Allen (Tex.) High School; and Region 5: John Mannion, Mountainside (Ore.) High School.
Gallagher is currently the Special Teams coordinator at Delbarton School in New Jersey. He has been a football coach at both the college and high school level for the last 51 years. Gallagher began his coaching career at Morris Catholic (N.J.) High School in 1973 as an assistant coach. He was named the head coach in 1977 until he moved to the college ranks as an assistant at Edinboro (Pa.) University in 1984. After two years, Gallagher was named the head coach at St. Francis (Pa.) University in 1986. In 1989, Gallagher was named the head coach of his alma mater, William Paterson. In his eight seasons as head coach, he led the Pioneers to three straight eight-win seasons from 1991-93 with an Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference playoff appearance in 1991 and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs in 1993. Gallagher returned to the high school ranks in 1997 as the head coach at Montville (N.J.) High School, a post he would hold until 2010. He guided Montville to a state championship game appearance in 2006, earning him Coach of the Year honors by the New Jersey Football Coaches Association that same year. During his time at Montville, Gallagher created and operated the “Pathways for Exceptional Children” football program which is for children with disabilities to have an opportunity to learn and play the game of football. He continued to run the program even when he moved on to another high school coaching opportunity. Gallagher is a member of the Morris Catholic High School Hall of Fame, the William Paterson University Hall of Fame and the New Jersey Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Saulsberry is in his 26th season at Whitehaven High School and 20th as a head coach. He has an overall record of 185-53 with two Tennessee 6A state titles in 2012 and 2016, the first championships in program history. Over 200 of Saulsberry’s former players have gone on to play college football, and 15 of them have become coaches. He has served on the board of the Tennessee Football Coaches Association and served on the Rules Committee for the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. Saulsberry has been a speaker at various football clinics around the country, including the 2013 AFCA Convention. In 2020, he co-founded the Minority Coaches Association of Tennessee, which helps high school, college and professional coaches in Tennessee foster job opportunities and hosts clinics for continuing education. Saulsberry has earned many awards over his time as head coach, such as a two-time Tennessee Titans Coach of the Week, a Tennessee Titans/Shelby Metro Coach of the Year award winner in 2012 and 2016, three-time Regional Coach of the Year and winner of the Rex Dockery Award from the Memphis Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
Tippmann has been the head coach at Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, since 2009. In his 15 years as a head coach, Tippmann has guided the Panthers to an overall record of 154-39 with two state titles. In 2023, Fort Wayne went 12-1 and won the Class 5A state championship. Tippmann began his coaching career at Indiana University as a graduate assistant. In 1999, he became an assistant coach at Snider and never left. Tippmann works tirelessly for the betterment of football in the state of Indiana. He is one of the founding members of the Northeast Indiana Football Association and is currently serving as an executive board member. He also served as president of the Indiana Football Coaches Association (IFCA) in 2016 and is currently serving on the IFCA executive board and is Director of Safety and Development. Tippmann is currently spearheading the effort to introduce 8-man football in Indiana and has worked as a Master Trainer for USA Football since 2016. Tippman has won many awards over his coaching career including Indianapolis Colts Coach of the Week (2021), Indiana Coach of the Year (2015), SAC Coach of the Year (2015 & 2012) and many more. Outside of his coaching awards, Tippman has also been awarded the Indiana High School Athletic Association/Indianapolis Colts Blue Horseshoe Award for Community Service (2013), YMCA Domestic Violence Awareness Hope Award (2018), to name a few.
Wiginton has 23 years of head coaching experience and has won over 160 games. He is currently in his second season coaching at Allen (Tex.) High School. Wiginton was named the head coach for the Eagles in May of 2022. Before Wiginton moved to Allen, he helped open a new high school, Midlothian Heritage (Tex.), in 2016, and was their head coach and athletic director. Over his six years as head coach, Wiginton had a record of 60-17, won four district titles and made six playoff appearances. He was the head coach at Midlothian (Tex.) from 2010-14, guiding them to the playoffs in 2012 for the first time since 2004. Wiginton won two district co-championships at Mexia (Tex.) from 2008-09 after spending four seasons at Comfort (Tex.) where he led the Bobcats to the playoffs three times, including an appearance in the state semifinals in 2005. His first head coaching assignment came in 2000 when Wiginton became the head coach and athletic director at Bosqueville (Tex.) and guided the Bulldogs to their first 11-man football playoff appearance in school history. He has won many awards over his coaching career, including being named coach of the year in several Texas High School Districts; he has been named the Dallas Cowboys Coach of the Week four times; and 2003 Texas HS Football.com 1A Coach of the Year. He has also served as director of the North Texas Football Coaches’ Association since 2014 and was named president of the Texas High School Coaches Association for the 2022-23 school year.
Mannion spent six years as head coach for Mountainside (Ore.) High School, a program he began when the school first opened in 2017. Before he went to Mountainside, Mannion spent eight years at Silverton (Ore.) High School from 2010-17. He had a record of 57-29 with two league championships in 2012 and 2014, two semifinal appearances and one state championship game appearance. Prior to Silverton, Mannion was at Foothill (Calif.) High School where he got started as an assistant coach in 1996 and then became head coach in 2007. During his time at Foothill, the team won seven league and section championships. He even got to coach his oldest son, Sean, while at Foothill. Sean went on to become a standout quarterback at Oregon State. Mannion coached his youngest son, Brian, at Mountainside. Brian is currently playing football at Linfield University. Mannion’s coaching career began in 1988 at Dos Pueblos (Calif.) High School from 1988-89, then Marina (Calif.) High School in 1990. He served as the Defensive/Special Teams Coordinator at Milpitas (Calif.) High School from 1991-94 before his stop at Foothill.
The AFCA will announce the 2023 National Power of Influence Award winner during the 2024 AFCA Convention on January 7-10, 2024. The Regional winners are finalists for the national Power of Influence Award.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
« « Previous PostNext Post » »
Five of the best high school coaches in the nation highlight today’s announcement of the 2023 AFCA Regional Power of Influence Award winners. This award is given jointly by the American Football Coaches Association® and the American Football Coaches Foundation®. These winners will be honored during the 2024 AFCA Convention, which will be held on January 7-10, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee.
This is the fifth year that the AFCA has recognized regional winners for the Power of Influence Award. The award was created as a way for the AFCA® and AFCF® to honor deserving high school football coaches. Coaches who receive this award are recognized for their impact on their team, as well as the legacy they leave with the school and surrounding community. This award is not based on wins and losses; however, it should be noted that coaches of powerful influence have longevity and success. The winners are selected by members of the AFCF Board of Directors.
2023 AFCA/AFCF Regional Power of Influence Award winners are: Region 1: Gerry Gallagher, Delbarton (N.J.) School; Region 2: Rodney Saulsberry Sr., Whitehaven (Tenn.) High School; Region 3: Kurt Tippmann, Snider (Ind.) High School; Region 4: Lee Wiginton, Allen (Tex.) High School; and Region 5: John Mannion, Mountainside (Ore.) High School.
Gallagher is currently the Special Teams coordinator at Delbarton School in New Jersey. He has been a football coach at both the college and high school level for the last 51 years. Gallagher began his coaching career at Morris Catholic (N.J.) High School in 1973 as an assistant coach. He was named the head coach in 1977 until he moved to the college ranks as an assistant at Edinboro (Pa.) University in 1984. After two years, Gallagher was named the head coach at St. Francis (Pa.) University in 1986. In 1989, Gallagher was named the head coach of his alma mater, William Paterson. In his eight seasons as head coach, he led the Pioneers to three straight eight-win seasons from 1991-93 with an Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference playoff appearance in 1991 and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs in 1993. Gallagher returned to the high school ranks in 1997 as the head coach at Montville (N.J.) High School, a post he would hold until 2010. He guided Montville to a state championship game appearance in 2006, earning him Coach of the Year honors by the New Jersey Football Coaches Association that same year. During his time at Montville, Gallagher created and operated the “Pathways for Exceptional Children” football program which is for children with disabilities to have an opportunity to learn and play the game of football. He continued to run the program even when he moved on to another high school coaching opportunity. Gallagher is a member of the Morris Catholic High School Hall of Fame, the William Paterson University Hall of Fame and the New Jersey Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Saulsberry is in his 26th season at Whitehaven High School and 20th as a head coach. He has an overall record of 185-53 with two Tennessee 6A state titles in 2012 and 2016, the first championships in program history. Over 200 of Saulsberry’s former players have gone on to play college football, and 15 of them have become coaches. He has served on the board of the Tennessee Football Coaches Association and served on the Rules Committee for the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. Saulsberry has been a speaker at various football clinics around the country, including the 2013 AFCA Convention. In 2020, he co-founded the Minority Coaches Association of Tennessee, which helps high school, college and professional coaches in Tennessee foster job opportunities and hosts clinics for continuing education. Saulsberry has earned many awards over his time as head coach, such as a two-time Tennessee Titans Coach of the Week, a Tennessee Titans/Shelby Metro Coach of the Year award winner in 2012 and 2016, three-time Regional Coach of the Year and winner of the Rex Dockery Award from the Memphis Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
Tippmann has been the head coach at Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, since 2009. In his 15 years as a head coach, Tippmann has guided the Panthers to an overall record of 154-39 with two state titles. In 2023, Fort Wayne went 12-1 and won the Class 5A state championship. Tippmann began his coaching career at Indiana University as a graduate assistant. In 1999, he became an assistant coach at Snider and never left. Tippmann works tirelessly for the betterment of football in the state of Indiana. He is one of the founding members of the Northeast Indiana Football Association and is currently serving as an executive board member. He also served as president of the Indiana Football Coaches Association (IFCA) in 2016 and is currently serving on the IFCA executive board and is Director of Safety and Development. Tippmann is currently spearheading the effort to introduce 8-man football in Indiana and has worked as a Master Trainer for USA Football since 2016. Tippman has won many awards over his coaching career including Indianapolis Colts Coach of the Week (2021), Indiana Coach of the Year (2015), SAC Coach of the Year (2015 & 2012) and many more. Outside of his coaching awards, Tippman has also been awarded the Indiana High School Athletic Association/Indianapolis Colts Blue Horseshoe Award for Community Service (2013), YMCA Domestic Violence Awareness Hope Award (2018), to name a few.
Wiginton has 23 years of head coaching experience and has won over 160 games. He is currently in his second season coaching at Allen (Tex.) High School. Wiginton was named the head coach for the Eagles in May of 2022. Before Wiginton moved to Allen, he helped open a new high school, Midlothian Heritage (Tex.), in 2016, and was their head coach and athletic director. Over his six years as head coach, Wiginton had a record of 60-17, won four district titles and made six playoff appearances. He was the head coach at Midlothian (Tex.) from 2010-14, guiding them to the playoffs in 2012 for the first time since 2004. Wiginton won two district co-championships at Mexia (Tex.) from 2008-09 after spending four seasons at Comfort (Tex.) where he led the Bobcats to the playoffs three times, including an appearance in the state semifinals in 2005. His first head coaching assignment came in 2000 when Wiginton became the head coach and athletic director at Bosqueville (Tex.) and guided the Bulldogs to their first 11-man football playoff appearance in school history. He has won many awards over his coaching career, including being named coach of the year in several Texas High School Districts; he has been named the Dallas Cowboys Coach of the Week four times; and 2003 Texas HS Football.com 1A Coach of the Year. He has also served as director of the North Texas Football Coaches’ Association since 2014 and was named president of the Texas High School Coaches Association for the 2022-23 school year.
Mannion spent six years as head coach for Mountainside (Ore.) High School, a program he began when the school first opened in 2017. Before he went to Mountainside, Mannion spent eight years at Silverton (Ore.) High School from 2010-17. He had a record of 57-29 with two league championships in 2012 and 2014, two semifinal appearances and one state championship game appearance. Prior to Silverton, Mannion was at Foothill (Calif.) High School where he got started as an assistant coach in 1996 and then became head coach in 2007. During his time at Foothill, the team won seven league and section championships. He even got to coach his oldest son, Sean, while at Foothill. Sean went on to become a standout quarterback at Oregon State. Mannion coached his youngest son, Brian, at Mountainside. Brian is currently playing football at Linfield University. Mannion’s coaching career began in 1988 at Dos Pueblos (Calif.) High School from 1988-89, then Marina (Calif.) High School in 1990. He served as the Defensive/Special Teams Coordinator at Milpitas (Calif.) High School from 1991-94 before his stop at Foothill.
The AFCA will announce the 2023 National Power of Influence Award winner during the 2024 AFCA Convention on January 7-10, 2024. The Regional winners are finalists for the national Power of Influence Award.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
