Wayne Wade Named High School Coach of the Year by the Pittsburgh Steelers

Clairton High School football coach Wayne Wade is the Pittsburgh Steelers High School Coach of the Year and the team's nominee for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year.

Wade, who is in his 12th season as the school's coach, guided his team to the 2025 Class A PIAA State Championship this year, defeating Bishop Guilfoyle, 35-3. It was his first as the program's head coach. He also won state titles as an assistant coach and as a player at the school.

"Coach Wade has been one of the best coaches in Western Pennsylvania over his tenure at Clairton, but this year, it all seemed to come together for them," said Mike Marchinsky, the Steelers senior manager of Alumni Relations and Youth Football. "I go back to last fall when Commissioner Roger Goodell and Curtis Martin stopped by to visit with them, they soaked that entire experience in as a team."

Clairton won the WPIAL Class 1A Championship game at Acrisure Stadium, defeating Laurel, 8-6, for the school's 15th WPIAL Championship.

Coach Wade is now a finalist for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award. The NFL will recognize two overall winners, one representing the AFC and one the NFC for the award, named after the late Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula.

Below, High School Football America's Jeff Fisher talks with Coach Wade about the honor and what it's like to win a state title as a coach and a player.