LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Every year, NFL teams name a local coach as their selection for the Tom Clemens Award, commemorating the high school football coach of the year in their region who won big on and off the field. Those selections become the teams' nominations for the Don Shulah Award, recognizing two national high school football coaches of the year between the NFC and AFC.
The Las Vegas Raiders selected Sunrise Mountain head football coach Chris Sawyers, who helped lead the Miners to a turnaround season in his second year at the helm. After finishing 0-7 in their 2021 season, the team went 9-2 last fall and made the Nevada class 4A state championship game.
"I was just honored to win the first award," Sawyers told Channel 13's Nick Walters. "It would be amazing (to win the Shulah Award). Money is always important in a community like this one and the recognition would be amazing. To be the coach of the year, that would be incredible.
After the Sunrise Mountain community was struck especially hard by the pandemic, Sawyers led the Miners to their first winning season since 2017 and united his players for a special run.
"A lot of our kids are low-income students," Sawyers said. "They have interesting home lives, many of them. So a lot of them need a lot of love...being a positive male figure is something that a lot of them need."
After the Miners lost their first game of the 2023 season, the team would win nine straight until falling to Centennial in the championship game. The success has changed the direction of the football program and maybe even the lives of the players in it.
"All we did was force feed to them that we are good enough and we do have the ability to do these things," Sawyers said. "Gave them a little bit of love and it's amazing what can happen."
Sawyers received $1000 as the Raiders' Clemens Award selection while $2000 was donated towards the Sunrise Mountain football program. The two coaches who win the Shulah Award will receive $10,000, earn $15,000 for their high school program, given a trip to the Pro Bowl in Orlando where they will be recognized, and get an expense-paid trip to the Super Bowl.
The winners of the Don Shulah Award will be announced later in January in the week before the Pro Bowl on February 4.
