LINCOLN, NE —Following the successful and healthy completion of the 2020 Nebraska Shrine Bowl Game played in Kearney on Saturday, July 11, the Nebraska Shrine Bowl Executive Board is proud to announce the coaching staff selections for the 63rd annual Shrine Bowl of Nebraska. The following Nebraska High School football coaches will represent the North and South teams respectively: 

North Team

• HC - Kurt Frenzen (HC @ Columbus Lakeview) Class C1
• Asst - Mike Kayl (HC @ Gretna) Class A
• Asst - Judson Hall (HC @ Scottsbluff)  Class B
• Asst - Russ Plager (HC @ Wayne) Class C1
• Asst - Wade McVey (Defensive Coordinator @ Bellevue West) Class A
• Asst - Jeff Bargen (Defensive Coordinator @ Columbus Lakeview) Class C1

South Team

• HC - Mark McLaughlin (HC @ Platteview) Class C1
• Asst - Dustin Kronhofman (HC @ Arapahoe) D1
• Asst - Tony Janssen (HC @ Auburn) Class C1
• Asst - Tim Clemenger (HC @ Papillion/LaVista South) Class A
• Asst - Jordan Bald (RB/DB Coach @ Platteview) Class C1
• Asst - Jeff Montgomery (Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach @ Gibbon) Class C2

Columbus Lakeview Head Football Coach Kurt Frenzen will lead the North team on the sidelines. Starting his 24th year of teaching and coaching, Frenzen was named a Top 15 National Coach for US Cellular’s Most Valuable Coach Award in 2016. As a teacher, coach, and administrator at Columbus Lakeview, he continues to develop a leadership model that helps create empowerment among his teams.

“I am very honored and humbled to be selected to lead the North team in the 63rd annual Nebraska Shrine Bowl. This game has always been the marquee all-star match-up featuring Nebraska’s best football talent. To have a chance to lead our top-tier student-athletes on and beyond the field is an experience that every Nebraska high school football Coach strives for,” said Frenzen. 

“More importantly is the cause for which the Shrine Bowl is played each year that carries the greatest impact personally. Having the opportunity to experience the Shrine Bowl as an assistant in 2014 I can say that the coaches and players that will be involved in this wonderful event are going to form friendships and memories that will last a lifetime,” Frenzen continued.“Servant leadership will be front and center as we take the field and battle not only against each other but to help provide a better way of life for many young children for which this game is played.”

Platteview Head Football Coach Mark McLaughlin, who led Gibbon High School to five state playoff appearances and two district titles, will guide the South team on the field. McLaughlin is widely regarded for maximizing talent and creating a culture of leadership for young men.

“To be selected as the head coach of the most prestigious and iconic high school sporting event that our state offers, honored is an understatement. As Nebraskans, we are passionate about our love for the game of football. We are also well known for caring about our neighbors and doing what we can to lend a helping hand. The Shrine Bowl of Nebraska is a perfect blend of these two things.  I am incredibly excited for this opportunity and to be part of that,” McLaughlin said. 

“The Shrine Bowl provides opportunities for players to connect as friends, coaches to network and share ideas, and family and fans to watch their favorite player grace the field once more as a high school player,” continued McLaughlin. “More importantly, the Shrine Bowl provides opportunities for the children in need of care at Shriners Hospitals for Children. The Beyond the Field Experience is a life-changing event; a true opportunity of a lifetime. Watching the players interact with the patients is something special. I can’t wait to see it all happen!“ 

Dave MacDonald, Executive Director of the Nebraska Shrine Bowl commented, “We are thrilled to have Coach Frenzen, Coach McLaughlin**, and their assistant coaching staffs join us in our mission to support Shriners Hospitals for Children. Their leadership on and beyond the field instills the confidence necessary to ensure the safety and healthy competition our state’s student-athletes have trained for, earned, and deserve.” 

The 63rd annual Nebraska Shrine Bowl game will be played at the University of Nebraska-Kearney’s Ron and Carol Cope Stadium Foster Field in Kearney, Nebraska on Saturday, June 5, 2021.  All proceeds from the game benefit Shriner’s Hospitals for Children.