Capitol News

Jim DeWald, head coach at Birmingham Seaholm High School, has been named the Detroit Lions High School Football Coach of the Week for week two of the 2025 season. The recognition comes after DeWald's team, the Maples, defeated Auburn Hills Avondale with a score of 44-6, improving their record to 2-0 for the season. This win also marks DeWald as the winningest football coach in Birmingham Seaholm history.

DeWald is in his 24th year coaching high school football and his 14th season as head coach at Seaholm. He holds an overall record of 76-56. Before leading Seaholm, he was head coach at Bloomfield Hills Andover High School for three seasons and also coached at Pontiac Northern High School. His coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Western Michigan University.

Detroit Lions Football Education interviewed DeWald about his team's recent victory and preparations for upcoming games. They discussed what the historic win means to him personally and how the team is preparing for its next matchup against Bloomfield Hills on September 12th. The interview can be viewed on www.DetroitLions.com/coachoftheweek.

The Detroit Lions' High School Football Coach of the Week program recognizes coaches each week during the regular season who demonstrate success on the field while fostering character, discipline, skill development, and player health and safety within their programs. Winners are chosen by a panel of high school football media members: Mick McCabe, Hugh Bernreuter, Bret Bakita, James Cook, and Scott DeCamp.

This year’s program will distribute $12,000 to support high school football in Michigan through contributions from the Detroit Lions, NFL Foundation, and Carhartt. Each weekly winner receives a $1,000 donation to their school's football program. At season's end, one coach will be named Coach of the Year and receive a $3,000 donation for their school's program. All recipients receive certificates signed by Lions' head coach Dan Campbell and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Now in its 29th year, this initiative has awarded $515,000 to high school football programs across Michigan since its inception.

For more information about the program or to contact Chris Fritzsching, Executive Director of Football Education for the Lions: chris.fritzsching@lions.nfl.net.