2024 NEMFCA 8-Man Hall of Fame Inductee Salutes - Jon Dahl, Mead High School

COACH JON DAHL – MEAD HIGH SCHOOL

(Here is our 6th of twelve 2024 NEMFCA Hall of Fame inductees. Today we feature one of 8-Man football’s finest and most loyal coaches in Nebraska, the venerable Jon Dahl.)

In a coaching career that lasted from 1978 to 2022, Coach Dahl dedicated over 40 years of his life to coaching Nebraska Eight-Man football. Spending almost all of those years as a Mead Raider, Jon compiled a stellar 121-61-1 record as a Head Coach and then later served an additional two decades on staff as an assistant.

During that span, he helped lead 12 teams to the state playoffs and won the East Central Nebraska Conference and multiple district football titles along the way. After years of knocking on the door of a state title, Coach Dahl’s dominating 1987 squad was able to finish the job with an undefeated season, while winning the Class D-1 State Championship. Jon was later honored as an assistant coach for the East All-Stars in 1989 and later returned to serve as East Head Coach for the epic 1993 All-Star game (a game that was dramatically won by the East on the final play of the game).

Through the years, he coached multiple All-State players and was also responsible for sending 13 of them to compete in the All-Star Game. Jon also sent several former players on to play at the college level, but he is most proud of watching them grow up to become great people.

Coach Dahl retired after the 2022 season, but he still takes great pride in the relationships he built with fellow coaches- as mentors, competitors, and friends.

The NEMFCA is honored to now welcome him into the Eight-Man Hall of Fame class of 2024.

1000 Yard Guy observations…..1987 was a tough year for me. I lost two of my biggest Heroes, my Dad and my drumming idol, Buddy Rich. I also lost one of my coveted thousand yard rushers, Chris Winkleman of MEAD. Chris, who ran for 1,022 yards in 1986 as a sophomore, died in a drowning accident on July 7th, just a few months before the’87 season.

Enter soon-to-be Hall of Fame Coach, Jon Dahl, who fashioned an undefeated season dedicated to Winkleman that culminated with a State Championship.and a crushing 58-36 win over Ansley.

That's the kind of coach Jon Dahl was. His players loved him and I witnessed that up close when I drove to Mead in 2007 to watch Jared Larson and the Raiders play High Plains in the opening round of the playoffs.

Larson bolted for 198 yards on 36 carries that night as Mead edged High Plains 22-20. Coach Dahl was so positive and in control that night. Somehow I knew they would come out on top on that late October night.

To this day, I was glad I made that trip to see a Master at work on the sidelines. Coach Jon Dahl is certainly deserving of the honor he will receive this Saturday, a Mead Raider through and through.

…..and, a list of Mead’s All-State players who were coached by the great Jon Dahl.

John Konecky-1980

Doug Langemeier-1986

Doug Langemeier-1987

Mark Luetkenhaus-1987

Jerry Charles-1988

Jason Maly-1989

Stuart Nadgwick-1992

Monte Else-1996

Regan Else-1997

Regan Else-1998

Paul Thorson-1999

Jason Larson-2007 (1,697 yards rushing)