Longtime Owatonna High School assistant football coach Doug Wanous will receive the Butch Nash award at the state football coaches association banquet on Saturday, March 28.

Wanous is a 22-year veteran of the Owatonna coaching staff. He is a varsity assistant and the head offensive line coach. Wanous played on the first prep bowl team for the Indians in 1982 and went on to play football at Concordia University-Moorhead.

The coaches association banquet is Saturday at the Double Park Tree Hotel in Minneapolis. The Butch Nash award goes to a front-line coach who is in the limelight and approaching the level of a head coach. It generally goes to a coach with 15 or more years of service. Up to eight coaches are named award winners each year.

Wanous is the third current member of the OHS staff to earn the Butch Nash award and the fifth Owatonna coach since the award was first presented in 1984. Marc Achterkirch won it in 2012 and Delles Solie in 2007. Ken Bey won the honor in 1984 and Ed Draheim in 1987.

One reason for Owatonna's success on the grid iron is the consistency of the coaching staff. Jeff Williams became head coach in 1996. He has won the Big Nine coach of the year honor four times and been named section coach of the year four times. He won the state coach of the year award after the Huskies' 2013 championship. Williams has spoken of how these honors are shared by the whole staff. Achterkirch was awarded assistant coach of the year after the state title run. Joining Wanous with 20-plus years on the staff are Achterkirch, Solie, Kevin Stelter and Gary Rusinko. Meanwhile, Jerry Eggermont, Marc Wiese, Matt Skala, Doug Maine, Steve Zappa and Dean Walters have been assistants for 10 years or more.

George "Butch" Nash played for the University of Minnesota from 1936-38. He was a Gopher assistant coach from 1947-91.

Several southern Minnesota coaches are among those that will be recognized on Saturday. Gary Sloan of Grand Meadow is the nine-man coach of the year. Mike Kesler of Rochester Lourdes is the AAA coach of the year. Jon Bakken of WEM will receive the Power of Influence award. Terry Bahlman of Marshall will receive a service award for reaching 200 career wins.

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