Kamala Harris’ New 2024 VP Tim Walz Has Remarkable Past as an HS Football Coach

Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has officially picked Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running mate.

Walz, born in West Point, Neb., played football in high school and became a state-champion high school football coach before becoming a politician.

Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz brought the defense-first mentality of the mid-1990s Nebraska Cornhuskers to Minnesota

Walz started his career as a football coach when he came back from the National Guard. After his return, he started teaching and coaching at Alliance High School in his native state of Nebraska.

After his time at Alliance High School, Walz moved to Minnesota and continued his career as a high school football coach. Walz moved away from Nebraska in the late 1990s, which would’ve made him a Nebraska high school football coach during a time when the Nebraska Cornhuskers dominated the country with their defensive prowess.

Starting the week up with the vintage #Blackshirts ☠️ ☠️ just destroying quarterbacks and lines we even got our guy @TrevAlberts wrecking shop same with @jasonpeter! Think this defense this year is going to be nasty! #GBR 🌽 #Huskers pic.twitter.com/RuR31UCLDB

— Official University of Nebraska Uber Driver (@NebHypeMan) April 11, 2022

Walz took that defensive mentality, which many Nebraska high schools emulated during that era, and brought it to Minnesota. There is no doubt that the Tom Osborne Huskers of the mid-1990s left an impression on Walz and the way he did things as he cited their play in 1995 as the reason he was arrested for speeding and reckless driving.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Walz was 31 in 1995 when the Huskers had one of the best seasons in college football history. After watching Nebraska with his friends, he was pulled over at 96 mph in a 55 mph zone.

Nebraska’s blueprint helped Tim Walz immensely

He joined Mankato West High School as a defensive coordinator and his stout defense was crucial to the school’s first state championship in 1999.

Mankato West High School started its state championship season behind the eight ball with four losses and just two wins. Walz and the rest of the coaching staff turned the team around, leading them to an eight-game win streak that brought home the state championship. Walz’s defense was responsible for three shutouts, two of which occurred in the playoffs.

In an article from Football Scoop, Walz explained the type of defense he ran when he was the defensive coordinator for Mankato West High School.

“We ran a 4-4. We read guards at the time,” Walz said on Pod Save America in February. “I had really good athletes and good linebackers. That was an age it was unusual to see a 2,500-3,000 yard passer on the other side, but it was coming along. In high school if you if pull a guard you can pretty much tell where the ball’s going.”

Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz was responsible for massive turnarounds

Not only did Walz contribute to a turnaround amid Mankato West High School’s state championship season, but he also contributed to a turnaround of their football program as a whole.

Mankato West High School hadn’t won a game in years before Walz arrived. They lost 27 games in a row before Walz contributed to a complete about-face.

 “We said, ‘This is nonsense. Let’s turn this thing around.’ Three years later we were state champions, and now they’re a powerhouse.”

Walz cited his success as a football coach in Minnesota as a contributor to his election into Congress in 2006. He even compared his current role as Kamala Harris’ running mate to his time as a football coach.

“As a football coach,” Walz said, “we’re back on offense.”

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