In a striking moment at the Democratic National Convention in August, sixteen former members of Mankato West High School’s football team took the stage in a tribute to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
After all, Vice President Kamala Harris told the roaring crowd, he was their ‘coach’.
Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar went even further, declaring: ‘In Minnesota, we trust a coach who turned a team that was 0-27 into state champions.’
Americans watching might have been left with the distinct impression that Walz was the man behind the team’s underdog triumph.
But not so.
In fact, the head coach of the all-conquering side known as the ‘Scarlets’ was a man named Rick Sutton.
Walz, a social studies teacher by day, was simply one of several assistant coaches under Sutton, working primarily with the defensive players.
For his part, Sutton has expressed no ill will for Walz getting the credit on the national stage. But he also has left no doubt as to who was really in charge.
‘Tim was really great at selling his point of view and then accepting a different direction,’ Sutton said in August. ‘But at some point, somebody has to make that decision, and that’s going to be the head coach.’