Bears legend Robbie Gould formally introduced as Rolling Meadows High School's new football coach

ByRob Hughes WLS logo
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Gould introduced as Rolling Meadows High School's new football coach
Chicago Bears legend and retired kicker Robbie Gould is coming back to the area as a coach.

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. (WLS) -- Chicago Bears legend and retired kicker Robbie Gould is coming back to the area as a coach.



Gould was formally introduced Tuesday morning as head coach of the Rolling Meadows High School football team.





It was an NFL-style news conference for an 18-year NFL veteran.



Word got out late last week, after Gould visited with the players.



He comes to District 214 after working as an assistant coach last year at Fremd High School in Palatine.



"I want to thank everybody for the opportunity to be here, to be your next football coach, and I'm excited for the 'Stampede' to get wild and crazy, within reason guys, sorry, within reason, but to have some fun and see the school spirit that you guys have on Friday nights and carry that throughout the school year," Gould say Tuesday. "Football has been a part of my life for the better part of 22-plus years."



Gould is the Bears all-time leading scorer, and finished his career with the 49ers.



He spent 10 years with the Bears, where he's widely considered the best kicker in franchise history.



"I watched the Bears since I was a little kid, and so you kind of just know who he is. It's Robbie Gould," Rolling Meadows student Roisin Grandberry said.



Although Gould could have rested on his name alone, the reality is he applied for this job like anyone else.



Rolling Meadows Principal Megan Kelly said Gould prepared a 62-page document after watching every game the Mustangs played last season.



"We had this very honest and open conversation about not only football, but also the cultural impact a football program has on a high school, and it was like nothing I've personally experienced before," Rolling Meadows High School principal Megan Kelly said.



At 41, Gould found himself applying for his first position in the real world.



"Listen, I'm a living testament that sports don't last forever. And, at the end of the day, my first resume I ever had to make was for the Rolling Meadows head coaching job," Gould said.



He did not include former 49ers teammate and Rolling Meadows great Jimmy Garrapolo as a reference, but he did leave the door open if Jimmy G is ready to hang up the cleats.



"If Jimmy ever wants to come back and be my OC, we'll figure something out," Gould said.



As for the buzz around his new gig, he joked no one cared when he retired from the NFL, but they sure did as word spread in Rolling Meadows.



"These moments don't always come your way, but the impact you can make on a community and the kids is second to none, and, to me, I'm living a purpose-filled life," Gould said.



After Tuesday's news conference, Gould got straight to work with Rolling Meadows media students, answering 73 questions in a rapid-fire format.

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