#500!!! St. Mary’s Springs Football Coach Bob Hyland Hits Milestone Only Done Three Times Before In High School Football

St. Mary’s Springs Football head coach Bob Hyland has won his 500th career game as head coach of the Ledgers Football team.

Saturday, October 8, 2022, the Ledgers traveled to Lomira and beat the Lions 35-7. A game full of emotion. Hyland actually was ejected from the game for 2 separate confrontations with referee’s calling the game.

Late in the third quarter, with his team up 35-0 and a running clock, the Springs coaching staff questioned a penalty called by the officials. This resulted in a 15 yard penalty.

This fired up Hyland who was called for another 15 yard penalty for his actions.

While the referees talked amongst themselves in the middle of the field, Hyland again walked out on the field voicing his opinions of the officiating crew. This garnered him another 15 yard penalty, giving the Lions 45 yards without a single snap of the ball.

At this point one of the referees explained that after two penalties from a head coach, they are ejected from the game.

Coach Hyland walked off the field to a roar from the crowd voicing their displeasure in the call as they waved towels reading Congratulations Coach Hyland with a large 500 on them. Chants of “Bring back Bob” filled the stadium for a period of time as Hyland looked on from the other side of the fence.

The game ended with no further drama and after a brief talk with players and coaches from Lomira, a small celebration ceremony was held for Hyland on the field complete with a banner and large gold balloons of the numbers 5 0 and 0.

Currently the second most winning active high school football coach in the United States and the number one in the state of Wisconsin, Hyland has served as head coach for the St. Mary’s Springs Academy Ledgers for over 50 years.

A graduate of North Dakota State, where he played on the school’s football team, Hyland won two Division II national championships and was named the NCAA Division II offensive lineman of the year.

When Hyland started coaching at St. Mary’s Spring’s Academy in 1971, he embraced the challenge of transforming a struggling football program.

Coaching every play with the same level of intensity and importance, Hyland reinforces the importance of preparation, honesty, and focus with all his players. He also expects his players to uphold the school’s core values of faith, respect, leadership, community, responsibility, and learning. The average GPA for the Academy’s football team is 3.38

“With a career spanning 52 years and counting, Coach Hyland’s impact both on and off the field is beyond inspirational; rivalling that of a football coach, or any other coach for that matter. As countless alumni attest, the lessons learned on the field helped to prepare them for life; shaping them into faith-filled, servant leaders. At SMSA, Coach Hyland is so much more than a winning coach – he is a mentor, a leader and a legend,” states Stacey Akey, System President at St. Mary’s Springs Academy.