Former players from the Mankato West High School football team made a prominent appearance at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Wednesday night to support their former coach, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, as he officially accepted the Democratic vice-presidential nomination.
However, the mention of Walz's role as a football coach who transformed a losing team into state champions sparked a buzz on social media.
Ben Ingman, a former student of Walz who recalled being coached by him in seventh-grade basketball and track at Mankato, echoed this sentiment.
Several players then joined the stage in a pep rally-style display, drawing cheers from the crowd as the school’s fight song played in the background.
However, some on social media were quick to point out that Walz only served as an assistant coach during his time at Mankato.
"Amy Klobuchar introduces Tim Walz as a coach who ‘turned’ a team ‘into state champions,’" one user posted on X. "He was NEVER a head coach. He didn’t ‘turn’ anyone into state champions."
Richard Grenell, former U.S. ambassador to Germany, echoed this sentiment on X, stating, "He was the Assistant Coach, not the Coach."
Another user questioned the emphasis on Walz's coaching background, writing, "Still really, really confused about why they keep pushing the ‘Coach Walz’ thing from a million years ago when Tim Walz was a volunteer assistant coach…why not focus on his Governorship…?…no…they just want to focus on Coach Walz…it’s strange
Walz was a faculty member at Mankato from 1996 to 2006. During that time, he served as the Scarlets' linebackers coach and defensive coordinator until 2002. Under head coach Rick Sutton, the school won its first state championship in 1999.