Chip Lohmiller

Chip Lohmiller doesn't need the responsibility or the hectic schedule that comes with the territory of coaching high school football. And let's be honest: No prep coach - especially not a former NFL player - is in it for the money.

The question, then, is a simple one: What exactly prompted Lohmiller to become the coach at Pequot Lakes? The answer is one coaches know well: The urge, and the game, is in his blood.

Lohmiller, a former Minnesota all-state kicker and a standout with the Gophers, went on to a nine-year pro career, seven with the Washington Redskins. He lives in Crosslake - about 20 miles north of Brainerd - and is his second year as Pequot Lakes head coach.

Pequot Lakes, which has never qualified for the state tournament, was 3-6 last year and is 2-6 this season after losing its final game of the regular season last week. With a grade 10-12 enrollment of 355, it is among the smallest Class 3A schools in the state, meaning the Patriots often face opponents bigger and faster than them. To make matters worse, starting running back Mike Soukup broke two bones in his left leg Oct. 7 in a 28-20 loss to East Grand Forks. The referees, Lohmiller reports, were also not in his corner for that game.

Lohmiller, 39, has worked to revamp the area youth football program. He helped get $60,000 in new equipment for the weight room. Now the task is persuading players that sweating indoors in the summer is a better option than what the multitude of area lakes have to offer.

Throughout his playing career, Lohmiller took great pains to establish that he was not like other kickers. At 6-4 and 220 pounds, Lohmiller routinely worked his way into offensive or defensive drills with Washington, saving the kicking for after practice.

As such, Lohmiller did not bring a specialist's mindset into coaching. While he does work with the kickers - a sophomore is showing potential, Lohmiller said - he also tries to establish a tough mindset and works extensively with the offense. In that vein, he has borrowed from high school clinics as well as NFL minds such as Joe Gibbs and Mark Rypien.

"I think with the stories I can tell, they listen," Lohmiller said. "I've learned from so many different coaches, and I don't really yell much - unless they're not listening."

Aside from coaching, Lohmiller does some fishing, works as a volunteer fireman, runs a property management company and maintains his status as a scratch golfer on the area's top-notch courses.

College: Second all-time in Gophers history to Dan Nystrom with 57 field goals and 268 career points. ... Made a 30-yard field goal to defeat Michigan in 1986, the last time Minnesota defeated the Wolverines before this season.

Pro: Made 71.8 percent of his field goals in a nine-year career (1988-96), the first seven with the Redskins; he also played for the Saints and Rams. ... Led the NFL in scoring in the 1991 regular season (149 points). The season culminated with the Redskins winning the Super Bowl at the Metrodome.

Now: Lives in Crosslake, near Brainerd, and is in his second season as the head football coach at Pequot Lakes High; also is a volunteer fireman and has a property management company in the area.