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From the NHSACA and WFCA --

It is with great pleasure that the National High School Athletic Coaches Association announces that Pat Rice from Waunakee High School has won the 2025 National High School Athletic Coaches Association national coach of the year in the sport of Football. Eight finalists from across the nation were honored during The National Coach of the Year Awards Banquet which took place at the National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s national convention at the Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center in Rapid City, SD on the evening of June 25, 2025. The highlight of the banquet was the naming of the NHSACA national coach of the year in nineteen recognized sports categories.

Coach Rice was nominated for this national honor by their state’s high school coaches’ association. This selection was based on longevity, service to high school athletics, honors, championship years, and winning percentage. The nominees and finalists were evaluated by experts in the field of coaching using a sport-specific rubric to assign points in each category. The National High School Athletic Coaches Association is the oldest coaches’ association in the nation formed by coaches, for coaches, and has been recognizing national coaches of the year since 1978.

During Coach Rice’s 32-year tenure as a Head Coach, all at Waunakee High School, he compiled an overall record of 342 wins and only 44 loses. In his 32 years, he led his program to seven state championships (1999, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017, and 2021) and five state runner ups (2001, 2005, 2012, 2019, and 2023). His program also qualified for the state semi-finals 18 times and were Badger Conference Champions 22 times. In addition to championships won, Coach Rice and his Warriors had a 16 year home winning streak from 1998-2014, and had a 48-game winning streak (a state record at the time) from 2009 – 2012. Pat Rice was also inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches’ Association (WFCA) Hall of Fame in 2014.

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.

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