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LINCOLN — Cedar Catholic head football coach Chad Cattau has been selected as a coach for the North Team at the 66th annual Nebraska Shrine Bowl Football Game to be held at Ron and Carol Cope Stadium and Foster Field on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Kearney on June 1, 2024.
Cattau will be one of five to act as an assistant coach on Norfolk High School coach Chris Koozer’s team.
“Coaching in the Shrine Bowl has always been a personal goal of mine,” Cattau said. “I didn’t set a lot of personal goals when I started coaching, but the Shrine Bowl organization is a top-notch organization and a great cause. It involves the best of the best across the state and to be included is an honor and very humbling.”
James Thompson from Lincoln North Star, Ryan Smith from Sidney, Ron Beacom from Neligh-Oakdale, Jason Jones of Grand Island and Matt Skiff of Norfolk complete Koozer’s staff.
Dr. Ron Cerny, executive director of the Nebraska Shrine Bowl, announced the coach’s selection at the Nebraska Coaches Association meeting held at Lincoln North Star High School in late July.
Cattau has experience in coaching these all-star games, being selected as an assistant coach for the Northeast Nebraska All-Star Game and a head coach for the NEN All-Star Game.
“It’s a great experience to coach all of these talented players and share ideas with the other great coaches involved,” Cattau said. “You go into the games knowing your own philosophies and try to stick with what you know, but you also have to adapt to the talent you have on the roster — you don’t want to forget about anyone.”
He also noted, defensively, the plan is pretty set. “Defensively, you are very limited as to what you can do as far as planning and scheming,” Cattau said. “You are pretty limited to a base defense.”
The South Team will be led by Ryan Gottula of Lincoln Southeast and assistant coaches Grant Traynowicz of Lincoln Southwest, Tom Van Haute of Omaha Gross, Clint Head of Hastings St. Cecilia, Chris Ardissono of Bruning-Davenport-Shickley, Fred Thorne of Lincoln Southeast and Andy Ryan of Lincoln Southeast.
In addition to rubbing elbows with the best of the best for a week, the Shrine Bowl game is for a good cause.
“The work that the Shriners do for children is unbelievable and to coach and support in a game where you get to be a part of that is great,” Cattau said. “I understand the experience traveling to meet some of these children in the hospital is very inspiring.”
