THE COACHES
The Kansas City Chiefs and Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt hosted Mill Valley's Joel Applebee (Kansas) and Blue Springs South's Greg Oder (Missouri), the 2015 Kansas and Missouri High School Coaches of the Year, this past Sunday before the game against the Cleveland Browns.
Hunt awarded the coaches with their trophies in the middle of the field before the game after strong performances by their respective teams throughout the 2015 high school football season.
Head coach Greg Oder and the Blue Springs South Jaguars finished their 2015 season 14-0 with a Class 6 Missouri state championship, the third championship in school history.
"I am honored to be selected by the Chiefs and the fellow weekly award winners," Oder said. "While I accept this award, the credit really goes to my 13 assistant coaches and all the players who worked hard from the offseason until the final whistle of the state championship game. Everything we have achieved this year is truly a team effort and not the work of just one person."
In the 2015 season, Joel Applebee led the Mill Valley Jaguars to a regular season record of 8-1 and a number one ranking in the state of Kansas. The Jaguars ended their remarkable season with a dominant 35-14 win over Bishop Carroll in the state championship.
"I would like to thank the Chiefs organization and the NFL for this great honor," Applebee said. "The honor is a direct reflection of our assistant coaches on staff, our high school administration and the great community that is Mill Valley."
THE TEACHERS
In addition to the coaches, Hunt also honored the recipients of the 2015 Missouri and Kansas Teachers of the Year.
The Missouri winner was Linda Glasgow, a third-grade teacher at John Nowlin Elementary School in Blue Springs.
"I felt like a little kid down there on the sidelines," Glasgow said. "The chance to be physically on the field was amazing and getting to bring my husband with me was pretty special, to experience it with him. We're big Chiefs fans that generally are at home watching the game, so that just takes it to another level, being there at the game and on the field."
The Kansas winner was Justin Coffey, a math teacher at Dodge City High School.
"Sunday was by far one of the coolest experiences of my life," Coffey said. "I've been a Chiefs fan since I was a little kid. I used to live in Olathe and so I've been a Chiefs fan forever. The Kansas City staff and everyone there treated me so nicely and took care of me. It was just a great experience."
DRUM HONOREE – PAUL RUDD
The Drum Honoree was actor and long-time Chiefs fan Paul Rudd:
