Mishawaka High School Football Coach Kinder Honored by Indianapolis Colts

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts are constantly looking for talented players from within the state, and they have identified Mishawaka High School football coach Keith Kinder as one of the most talented coaches in the state.

“Kinder earned the distinction after his Class 4A No. 8 Cavemen (2-0) defeated Class 6A Penn 27-7,” Colts officials said. “The 20-point victory over Penn was the largest margin of victory for the Cavemen over the Kingsmen since 1977.”

Indianapolis Colts Football Development Commissioner Mike Prior was in attendance and presented Mishawka High School with a $2,000 award in honor of Kinder’s victory.

After learning the honor would be presented Sunday, Kinder was able to surprise his team Wednesday morning in the Mishawaka High School auditorium.

“It’s important to me that the players are involved in the presentation this morning, simply because they actually played in a football game that they appreciate me for, which, when you think about it, seems a little backward, but it’s true,” Kinder said. “That’s why football is such a great team game, because it takes a lot of people working hard to achieve something special.”

He will be honored at an Indianapolis Colts game later this year.

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“It’s an incredible honor,” Kinder said. “It’s something I really appreciate being nominated by the coaches in our area, but it’s really an honor. It’s a program award and that’s what I’ve been telling our players, that the recognition is great for our kids, that hard work pays off.”

This season marks the 25th consecutive year that the Colts have honored outstanding high school football coaches in Indiana on a weekly basis.

“All high school head coaches in the state are eligible, regardless of school size, league or division. Coaches are evaluated based on a variety of factors, including the coach’s impact on the team, school and community, as well as team performance,” the Colts said. “The honorees are selected by a panel of football media, former athletic directors and other football representatives from across the state.”

At the end of the season, each winning coach will receive a $1,000 donation from the NFL Foundation and a commemorative plaque.

“I was a little shocked. Mr. Condry called me on Sunday afternoon and I thought, ‘Why would he even call me on Sunday?’ At first I thought, well, maybe he just wants to be on his radio show, but when he told me the reason, you know, and my wife found out, she was, you know, very excited,” Kinder said. “So, just again, it’s an incredible honor, but really, I think about the hard work that so many people put in to win something like this and as I told our players yesterday, you have to be able to take the credit and be recognized while still focusing on what’s going on. And that’s the main goal for our team to move forward and focus on next week and not what happened last week.”

Sponsors Corteva Agriscience and Certor Sports will each donate $1,000 to the school’s athletic fund, and Certor Sports will award the winning athletic department a $1,000 helmet credit.