Dan Brunner of Hartford Union High School has been named Green Bay Packers Coach of the Week, the organization announced Friday.
Brunner has led the Orioles to five Little Ten championships and 10 playoff appearances in his 17 seasons as head coach. Currently ranked No. 1 in the Division 1 Associated Press poll, 7-0 Hartford Union takes on West Bend West for the conference title tonight.
"I'd like to thank the Green Bay Packers for this award," Brunner said. "This is the pinnacle of the profession, to be honored by the Packers. It is a tribute to the players in the program and the coaches on my staff to be chosen for this award."
Brunner and his staff oversee a program of 180 players, including a varsity team of 70. He is assisted by Jeff Daus, Andy Fehring, John Redders, Paul Coffin and Jason Jobst. Fourteen former Orioles currently play college football, including Brunner's son Brian, a quarterback at Central Michigan. He is married to Kathleen, and the couple has a daughter, Katie.
Brunner has previous ties to the Packers organization. An All-American tight end at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, he spent training camp with the Packers in 1976. He began his coaching career in 1977 at St. Francis (Wis.) High School, where he spent 13 seasons as head coach. Brunner was appointed head coach at Hartford Union in 1990. Since 2005, he has served as the president of the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Board of Directors. He is a 2006 inductee to the WFCA's Hall of Fame. In his own playing career, he was coached by two WFCA Hall of Fame members: Forrest Perkins at UW-Whitewater and Jim Richardson at Milwaukee Boys Tech High School.
The Packers will recognize one outstanding high school coach as their 'Coach of the Week' winner during the 2006 high school football season. Winners are awarded several items and privileges, including a $1,000 donation to the school's football program from the Green Bay Packers and the NFL, as well as recognition of the award on www.NFLHS.com, the NFL's high school football Web site.
Nominations for Coach of the Week should be submitted by 9 a.m. every Monday to Cathy A. Dworak, manager of community relations, at coachoftheweek@packers.com (e-mail) or by fax at (920) 569-7302. Please include the nominee's name, address, school, phone number, and reason he/she is deserving of the award.
