Ex-NFL star Teddy Bridgewater leads Miami Northwestern to historic milestones in first year

Former NFL star Teddy Bridgewater’s return to Miami Northwestern has paid dividends in just his first year as head coach. After announcing his intention to retire from professional football and pursue high school coaching last year, the former Pro Bowl quarterback has guided his alma mater to the Florida 3A state championship game.

The Bulls secured their spot with a dominant 40-0 victory over Melbourne Eau Gallie on Friday, which set up a showdown against Jacksonville Raines next Saturday on South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium.

Northwestern boasts an explosive offense led by Syracuse wide receiver signee Darius Johnson, junior standout Calvin Russell and four-star sophomore sensation Nick Lennear.

On defense, the Bulls feature standouts like Syracuse edge rusher signee Deangelo Thompson, Colorado safety signee Antonio Branch, Illinois safety signee Tywan Cox, Syracuse defensive lineman EJ Thomas and four-star junior cornerback J’Vari Flowers.

Meanwhile, Raines also has an elite roster, which features five-star LSU interior offensive line signee Solomon Thomas, three-star defensive lineman Rutger signee Jyon Simon and three-star junior linebacker Tony Williams.

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Teddy Bridgewater leads Miami Northwestern to the state championship after five years

With the win over Eau Gallie, Teddy Bridgewater led Miami Northwestern to the Florida Class 5A state championship game for the first time since their 2019 title victory over Jones High School.

After a rocky start to the season, including a narrow 42-38 overtime loss to Venice on August 30 and a 21-17 defeat to Miami Norland on Sept. 13, Miami Northwestern found its rhythm. The Bulls have since secured nine consecutive wins and now hold an 11-2 record, which is a stark turnaround from last year’s sub-.500 finish. The school has outscored its playoff opponents 221-12.

Bridgewater was a 4-star prospect in the 2011 class coming out of Northwestern Miami and chose Louisville for his college career. He was drafted 32nd overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 2014. He played for six teams, including the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins, before retiring in 2023.

Over his NFL career, Teddy Bridgewater completed 66.4% of his passes for 15,120 yards and 75 touchdowns for 47 interceptions.