Teddy Bridgewater is 1-0 as the head coach of Miami Northwestern. However, the dominant first win of his high school football coaching career will not count toward the official record.
Even though it was just a preseason scrimmage, he put the state of Florida on notice!
Bridgewater retired from the NFL in December after 10 years with the Vikings, Jets, Panthers, Broncos, Dolphins and Lions. Unfortunately, the No. 32 overall pick in the 2014 draft never quite reached his full potential as a player because of a nasty leg injury at the start of his third season.
That didn’t stop him from playing an integral role as a journeyman backup. Bridgewater started 65 games and completed 66.4% of his passes for 15,120 yards and 75 touchdowns.
As good as he was as a player, the former Louisville quarterback was even more important as a mentor. Others always came before self.
Man, that’s just me my entire life, just paying it forward. Because I know I won’t play this game forever. There are certain things in life I can’t do forever, so it’s like, man, how can I leave an everlasting impact? How can I prepare the next wave of athletes for what’s in store?
It’s kind of my gift to life. Honestly, just pouring into the younger athletes, the younger players on the team. That’s how I stay blessed, I feel. That’s how I keep getting opportunities, of course outside of what I’m able to do as a football player […]
Those are the life trophies I get. Those are the plaques I get that you don’t see on the walls. It just means a lot for me.
— Teddy Bridgewater
Bridgewater’s focus on the people around him sets him up to be a fantastic high school football coach. He was hired by his alma mater in February and immediately made a profound impression as a leader of young men. The 31-year-old offered a profound message to his players during his first spring practice in May and even got on the field to lead a touchdown drive during the Bulls’ spring game later that month!
There is a lot of buzz around the perennial powerhouse program as result of its big-name hire. The Bulls are a top-300 team in the country.
Bridgewater made his official on-field debut on Saturday during a preseason game against Palmetto.
The Northwestern offense could not be stopped.
A former NFL QB as your head coach is a CHEAT CODE🔥 pic.twitter.com/wKTPfrmXMs
— Rivals (@Rivals) August 18, 2024
It was a blowout!
Teddy Bridgewater and the Bulls scored 42 points. Their defense held the Panthers to just one touchdown.
Northwestern opens the regular season against Coconut Creek next week. If the offense is cooking like it was during the scrimmage, defenses are going to have a hard time slowing the Bulls down!