Romeo Crennel to Coach High School All-Stars at 2023 Polynesian Bowl

Former NFL head coach Romeo Crennel and long-time college football coach Mark Richt will be the head coaches for the 2023 Polynesian Bowl.

The annual high school football all-star game features 100 of the nation's top seniors facing off in Hawaii.

Crennel will serve as head coach for Team Mauka.

"It is a genuine honor to be selected as a Polynesian Bowl Head Coach," said Crennel. "I’m excited to not only coach these top athletes, but also learn about the Polynesian Culture."

Crennel has a coaching career spanning fifty years. One of the most-decorated assistant coaches in NFL history, Crennel was a part of 17 playoff appearances. He won five Super Bowls as an assistant — Super Bowls XXI and XXV with the New York Giants and Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX with the New England Patriots.

In his 39 years in the NFL, Crennel has also served as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, and Houston Texans.

Facing Crennel and Team Mauka in Hawaii will be Mark Richt, head coach of Team Makai.

"The 2023 Polynesian Bowl is going to be an amazing experience," said Richt. "I look forward to celebrating culture and coaching the nation’s best players in paradise."

During his 18 years as a head coach, Richt’s teams compiled a 171–64 overall record. At the University of Georgia (2001-2015), his teams went 145-51 and won two SEC championships. Richt served as head coach for the Miami Hurricanes from 2015-2018, with a 26-13 record. He was named ACC Coach of the Year and the Walter Camp Coach of the Year in 2017.

Prior to becoming a head coach, he was an assistant coach at Florida State University where he was a part of two national championships in 1993 and 1999. He has coached two Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks — Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke.

Four former NFL head coaches — June Jones (2017 & 2022), Steve Spurrier (2020), Dick Vermeil (2018) and Jim Zorn (2019) — have coached in the Polynesian Bowl. The late Terry Donahue, who was the San Francisco 49ers’ General Manager and Director of Player Personnel, was the game’s head coach in 2018. Dick Tomey, an assistant coach with the Niners in 2003, was a Polynesian Bowl head coach in 2017.

Last year, Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams was a head coach. Williams currently serves as a senior advisor for the Washington Commanders.

The Polynesian Bowl, presented by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, co-founded by NFL Legend Jesse Sapolu, will be broadcast live in primetime on NFL Network on January 20, 2023, at 9:00 PM Eastern Time. The game will be played at Kūnuiākea Stadium on the Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Campus.