The storybook season for Bob Palko and the Mt. Lebanon football program was capped off on Sunday by some national recognition.
During the NFL Pro Bowl on ESPN, Palko was named the 2021 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year. For winning this award, Palko receives $15,000 from the NFL Foundation and two tickets to attend the Super Bowl this Sunday in Los Angeles.
The Don Shula Award recognizes “character and integrity, leadership and dedication to the community, commitment to player health and safety and on-field success. Palko was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ nominee as each of the 32 NFL teams nominates one high school coach for the award.
This prestigious award comes after Mt. Lebanon finished the 2021 season 15-0 and winning the WPIAL and PIAA 6A Championships. The state championship win over St. Joseph’s Prep was the first PIAA football title in the history of Mt. Lebanon football.
This was Palko’s 27th season coaching high school football and has a career record of 243-81. This year’s WPIAL championship was Palko’s ninth, tying him for the most in WPIAL history. This was his second PIAA title, winning his first one in 2001 with West Allegheny.
