Miami Northwestern’s Teddy Bridgewater is the Dade 3A-1A Football Coach of the Year
You don’t see high school football coaches lead a team to a state championship and then a couple of weeks later end up in playing in an NFL playoff game.
Never say never when it comes to Miami Northwestern alum Teddy Bridgewater.
What a rollercoaster ride it was for the former Bulls’ quarterback turned coach in his first season at the helm of his alma mater’s program as Bridgewater guided Northwestern to the Class 3A state championship before returning to the Detroit Lions as their backup quarterback during this year’s playoffs.
For his accomplishments on the high school football field, Bridgewater is the Miami Herald’s Football Coach of the Year for Classes 3A-1A.
Bridgewater guided the Bulls to a 12-2 season just one season after they went 4-6 and missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
It was Northwestern’s ninth state title overall and first since 2019.
Northwestern overcame early losses to Venice and Miami Norland as well as Miami Central (before it forfeited the victory due to an ineligible player) and put together one of the most dominant playoff runs in recent memory. With Central ousted from the playoffs due to the aforementioned violation of FHSAA rules, the Bulls overwhelmed their five regional and state playoff opponents by a combined score of 262-12. The mastery culminated with a 41-0 rout of Jacksonville Raines in the state final as the Bulls shut out their final three opponents and four of their last five overall.
“This (experience) taught me patience,” Bridgewater said after the state final. “When you’re working with 14-year olds, 15, 16, 17-year olds and coming from the NFL, you have to remember, they might not get it on the first try. They might not get it on the second, third or fourth or fifth try. But if you stay patient with them and really teach them the why for everything, the rest will take care of itself.”
Bridgewater, 32, celebrated his first state title with his alma mater and then decided to put on his playing cleats one more time when he rejoined the Lions during their recent playoff run just one year after stepping away from the game.
Bridgewater, who has suited up for seven NFL teams including the Miami Dolphins during his playing career, even briefly appeared in the Lions’ recent 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders in the NFC Divisional playoffs. He completed one pass for three yards and threw a key block during Jameson Williams’ 61-yard second quarter touchdown run.
Bridgewater had stated his plan was always to make himself available to NFL teams during the postseason and return to coach Northwestern once the season was over.
“I’m very excited especially in year one being able to get it with this staff, I wouldn’t want it to happen with anyone else,” Bridgewater said after Northwestern won the state title. “These guys put in the hours. Sometimes, I’ve been kind of an (expletive) with them…excuse my language…but they accepted the challenge and we’re champions now.”
