Eden Prairie’s Mike Grant has a desk job as the high school’s athletic director during the day, but on Friday nights, he leads his top-ranked high school football team onto the field as their head coach.
Grant, 50, has been the Eden Prairie Eagles’ head football coach for 15 years, and has led the school to six state 5A championships, going 6-0 in championship bowl game appearances. His most recent championship came this season with a 50-21 win over second-ranked Cretin-Derham Hall for their second-consecutive state championship.
“Since my freshman year, I’ve really gotten to know Coach Grant,” said senior wide-receiver Matt Norgren. “He’s a great leader and does a great job getting us ready for games.”
Grant has football in his blood; his father is the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant, who was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings for 18 seasons and led them to four Super Bowls. “I’ve learned a lot from my father. My earliest memories were of him coaching during practice,” said Grant. “He taught me how to deal with players and how to focus on important aspects of the game.”
Grant is also influenced by other legendary coaches, including St. John’s University football coach John Gagliardi, who holds the college football career record for coaching wins.
“John and I still talk weekly about football,” added Grant. “He taught me the basics of the game and my philosophy of coaching and the psychology of the game.”
During practice, Grant never yells at his players. “There is enough yelling in college,” he says. Instead, Grant silently paces the sidelines, carefully observing every action. He is very involved with his assistant coaches, always talking to them and discussing issues.
In a game, Grant is the mastermind behind the team’s playing. During lopsided games, Grant will pull out his starters and put in the second and third-string players in so they can gain some experience. In fact, according to Grant, the starters on this year’s roster played the least amount of time.
“This team is extremely ‘team’ orientated,” said junior quarterback Josh Hendricks. “There are no star players that just do everything for the team. All the points scored and the wins gathered are a collective team effort.”
“Coach Grant encourages us to play our best,” said junior wider-receiver Travis Blanshan. “He doesn’t get mad for making a mistake; all he wants is for you to fix it the next time around.”
Grant’s sons have also continued in the sport. His eldest son, Ryan, is considered one of the state’s best players this year. He has been the starting quarterback for the Eagles the past two seasons and has led the team to two undefeated seasons. Ryan will be playing defense for the University of Minnesota Gophers next fall. His younger son, Taylor, will be a junior at Eden Prairie next fall and is already playing on the varsity football team under his father.
“My father has taught me a lot about the game,” said Ryan Grant. “Sometimes I don’t know if I should call him coach or dad.”
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