John Koronkiewicz, head coach of the Waupaca High School Comets, has been selected as the Green Bay Packers High School Coach of the Week for Week 2, the Packers announced Thursday.
Koronkiewicz recently tallied his 150th career win as a head coach - with only 47 losses - defeating Little Chute 34-6. He has led Waupaca to 12 straight conference titles and 2 state title games. He has spent 20 seasons as head coach, all with Waupaca. In all, this will be Koronkiewicz's 28th season at the school, having served as an assistant from 1976-84. This year's varsity squad has 72 players with 5 assistant coaches. Koronkiewicz teaches civics/government at the high school.
Koronkiewicz played football, basketball and baseball at Oconto High School. His gridiron coach was Jerry Schliem, a Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame member, who now coaches at Milton.
Koronkiewicz played quarterback collegiately for the University of Wisconsin - Oskosh Titans, coached by Russ Young. He also played baseball for 1 season.
He is married to JoAnn and has two sons. His oldest son, Marcus, is a junior at Carroll College, where he plays football. Mikel is a sophomore at UW - Oshkosh, his father's alma mater.
Koronkiewicz said he didn't ever imagine collecting 150 wins. In fact, he was simply trying to win one game when his coaching career started and Waupaca was struggling. Now, he takes the 150-win mark in stride.
"I think you look at it as a milestone, but it's not anything you dwell on," Koronkiewicz said. "You just kind of move on to your next contest, prepare and see what happens."
Koronkiewicz will coach a veteran group that took second in Division 3 last season and lost by a narrow 24-21 margin vs. Waunakee in the state final. The offense returns a majority of starters including quarterback and 3 of the 4 starting receivers, also featuring a strong offensive line. The defense is younger than past Waupaca teams, but is steadily improving.
The Packers will recognize one outstanding high school coach as their Coach of the Week winner during the 2003 high school football season. As a Coach of the Week winner, Koronkiewicz and future recipients will be 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 website.
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) 490-5937. Please include the nominee's name, address, school, phone number, and reason he/she is deserving of the award.
