Tom Bolden of Lakota West High School Wins Paul Brown Coaching Award

Tom Bolden, the head football coach at Lakota West High School, is the 2024 season winner of the Paul Brown Excellence in Coaching Award.

The Paul Brown Excellence in Coaching Award has been presented annually by the Bengals since 2002. It honors outstanding high school football coaches in the region and includes a $10,000 Bengals donation to the Lakota West High School athletic department. The Bengals recognized Bolden during Saturday's game against the Denver Broncos.

Bolden took over the Lakota West program in 2019 and has led the Firebirds to the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) playoffs in each of his six seasons. Lakota West compiled an 11-2 record in the 2024 campaign, which included the team's fourth Greater Miami Conference title under Bolden and a berth in the OHSAA Division I, Region 4 semifinal.

Bolden holds a 61-13 overall record as Lakota West's head coach for an .824 winning percentage. Prior to his tenure, the Firebirds went 118-110 (.516) with five playoff appearances in 22 years.

Bolden spent 12 seasons (2007-18) as head coach at Colerain High School before taking over at Lakota West. He collected a 132-21 record, leading the team to 12 Greater Miami Conference championships, seven undefeated regular seasons and a Division I state runner-up finish in 2018.

Bolden is the 24th winner of the Paul Brown Excellence in Coaching Award. Previous winners have been Tom Grippa of Milford High School (2023 season), Andre Parker of Princeton (2022), Mike Orlando of McNicholas ('21), Chris Schmidt of New Bremen ('20), Aaron Hancock of Wyoming ('19), Andy Olds of Kings ('18), Eddie Eviston of Covington Catholic ('17), Noel Rash of Beechwood ('16), Dan McSurley of Clinton-Massie ('15), Nate Moore of La Salle ('14), Tim Goodwin of Marion (Ohio) Local ('13), Tom Crosby of Mariemont ('12), Bruce Kozerski of Covington Holy Cross ('11), Steve Klonne of Moeller ('10), Troy Everhart of Winton Woods ('09), Dale Mueller of Fort Thomas Highlands ('08), Jeff Giesting of Anderson ('07), Scott Datillo of Sycamore ('06), Steve Specht of St. Xavier ('05), Charles "Doc" Gamble of Withrow ('04), Doug Ramsey of Elder ('03), and Vince Suriano of Anderson and Mike Martin of Taft ('02 co-winners).