NFL Legend Maurice Douglass Leads Springfield High to Ohio Championship Game

Springfield High School, led by head coach and NFL Legend Maurice Douglass, will play for a state championship on Friday night. 

Douglass, a former defensive back with the Chicago Bears and New York Giants, has helmed a total rebuild of the Springfield program. When he took over in 2014, Springfield had won just two games in the previous two seasons. 

But Douglass has stacked up wins as a coach and succesfully guided many young men to earning college scholarships along the way. 

Each of the last two years, the Wildcats have reached the Ohio semifinals. And now, the team will play for the state’s Division I title at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It would be Springfield's first ever football state title. 

Springfield will face longtime Ohio high school powerhouse St. Edward, winners of four state titles. Springfield enters the title game ranked No. 47 in the High School Football America 100 rankings, powered by NFL Play Football. St. Edward is ranked No. 22 nationally.

Prior to taking-over Springfield, Douglass built his alma mater, Trotwood-Madison, into a playoff regular. The Rams appeared in the playoffs eight times during his 14 years at the helm, winning Ohio Division II state title in 2011. 

Below, listen to Coach Douglass talk with High School Football America’s Jeff Fisher about the importance of building a program with character and why he models his coaching style after Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

Photo: AP/Mark Elias