Coaches becoming institutions at schools
These 10 football coaches have the longest tenure at their current high school in the Milwaukee area.
Bill Young, Catholic Memorial
The ageless wonder is entering his 44th season and is in the midst of his best run as a head coach. The Crusaders have played in five state finals and won four state championships in the past 10 seasons. His teams have gone 101-23 (.815) during that run and his 365-120 record (.753) ranks third all-time in the state.
Tom Aldrich, Catholic Central
The Hilltoppers have struggled in recent years, but Aldrich, who is entering his 30th season, is one of just a handful of area coaches who have won more than one state championship. Catholic Central won Division 7 titles in 2008 and '09 and was the runner-up in 2010 (Division 7) and 2004. Aldrich has led Central to a 34-16 (.680) postseason record and enters the season with a 192-120 (.615) mark.
Brian Leair, Cedarburg
A North Shore co-champion in 1997, 2002, '11 and '14, Leair's greatest season came in a year when the team finished second in the conference. The 2010 team finished 12-2 and was the Division 2 state runner-up. His teams have won more than one game in the postseason nine times. He enters his 26th season with a 17494 record and 22 playoff appearances.
Scott Smith, Racine Lutheran
Smith's 23-year tenure is split. He led the program from 1995 to 2009 and returned to the program in 2012. The past four seasons have been his best run. The Crusaders went 40-7 during that stretch with a conference title and a state runner-up finish in 2018. It was also under his watch that Tyler Tenner became the state's all-time leading rusher in 2019. Smith's record is 15280.
Rob Green, Brown Deer
The Falcons have struggled in recent years, but during an 11-year run from 2004-14 Green led the program to six conference/division titles. His best season came in 2007, when Brown Deer finished 10-2 and advanced to Level 3 of the playoffs for the only time in school history. In 2013 and '14 he facilitated the emergence of Zach Baun before Baun starred at the University of Wisconsin and landed with the New Orleans Saints. Green enters his 22nd season
with a 95-103 mark.
Steve Rux, Waukesha West
A state champion in 2004 and 2010, West also had state runner-up finishes in 2014 and '15 under Rux. West's best stretch under Rux came from 2009-17, when the Wolverines posted double-digit victories in seven of nine seasons. His five Classic 8 Conference championships – outright crowns in '09, '11 and '17 and title shares in '10 and '14 – came during those years. He has a 173-69 record (.714) entering his 22nd season.
Patrick Wagner, Milwaukee Riverside
The dean of City Conference coaches led memorable playoff runs in 2006 and '11 when the Tigers reached the Division 1 state semifinals. Wagner, who is starting his 21st season, led Riverside to seven conference/ division titles and a 116-77 (.601) record, and sent a handful of players to the National Football League.
Greg Brazgel, Lake Country Lutheran
Brazgel, who is entering his 18th season, is one of the few coaches know what it's like to build a program from scratch and lead it to a state championship. He didn't post his first winning season until Year 5. Since then Lutheran has gone 128-25 with 10 conference or division titles in 13 seasons. The peak of that run was 2019, when the Lightning scored a comefrom-behind win over undefeated Stratford in the Division 5 state final.
Matt Hensler, Badger
Hensler, who enters his 15th season with a 101-70 (.591) record, has led the Badgers to the playoffs every year and won Southern Lakes titles in 2007, '11, '13, '15, '16 and '17. From 2015-17 Badger won 31 games, the most successful three-year run under Hensler. The 2015 and '16 teams advanced to the state semifinals.
Ken Krause, Muskego
Krause enters his 14th season with a 97-42 (.699) record. He has the Muskego program running like a finely tuned machine. It has a record number of participants and in the past three seasons he has led the team to 37 straight wins and state championships in 2018 and '19. The team's three straight Classic 8 championships equals a conference record.