Ex-Viking Teddy Bridgewater wins state title in first year as alma mater's head coach

Bridgewater retired from the NFL this past offseason after a ten-year career.

Miami Northwestern's Teddy Bridgewater raises the state trophy following the team's win over Raines in the Class 3A championship on Dec. 14, 2024. / Chet Peterman / Special to The Post / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Former Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater led his high school alma mater, Miami Northwestern, to a Florida state championship on Saturday in his first year as the program's head coach.

After a decade-long playing career, Bridgewater retired from the NFL this past offseason to take over as the coach at his high school. All he did in year one was take a team that went 4-6 last year and go 12-2, winning a Class 3A state title in dominant fashion. Miami Northwestern won the championship game 41-0 on Saturday and outscored its opponents 163-12 in the playoffs.

Miami Northwestern (FL) wins their first state title since 2019 with 41-0 win vs. Raines (FL) 😤🏆

Teddy Bridgewater wins a state championship in his first year as head coach. pic.twitter.com/ivWrpTdEw5

— MaxPreps (@MaxPreps) December 15, 2024

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED 🤯🏆

Teddy Bridgewater brings a state championship back to Miami Northwestern in his first year as head coach. @mnw_fb @coach_h2o pic.twitter.com/gWMAtZiopF

— 305 Sports (@305Sportss) December 15, 2024

That's an extremely impressive accomplishment for Bridgewater, and it had to be especially rewarding to do it at his alma mater. The 32-year-old appears to have a bright future in coaching.

Bridgewater was taken by the Vikings in the first round of the 2014 draft out of Louisville. He made the Pro Bowl and led Minnesota to a playoff berth in his second season, but his career took a turn when he suffered a devastating knee injury prior to the 2016 season.

Impressively, Bridgewater bounced back from the injury and continued to play, starting 37 games for the Saints, Panthers, Broncos, and Dolphins between 2018 and '22. He was with the Lions last season before deciding to move on from playing and pursue another professional challenge.

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