Chiefs name Lawrence Free State coach Adam Barmann Week 4 Kansas high school flag football coach of the week
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday named Lawrence Free State High School head coach Adam Barmann the Week 4 Kansas high school flag football coach of the week, the team announced. The honor spotlights head coaches who mentor student-athletes and help build programs positioned for long-term success. As part of his recognition, Barmann will receive a $1,000 grant from the Hunt Family Foundation, a Chiefs bucket hat, a certificate of recognition and a custom game ball.
Barmann serves as the inaugural head coach of the Free State girls flag football program after the team moved from a student-driven club to an officially sanctioned sport under the Kansas State High School Activities Association. The High School Coach of the Week program is now in its 30th year as a joint initiative between the Kansas City Chiefs and the National Football League, and the High School flag football Coach of the Week feature is in its first year in Kansas following KSHSAA sanctioning. Uncrustables, the Official PB&J of the Kansas City Chiefs, is the presenting partner of the Chiefs Coach of the Week program.
Free State finished its inaugural club season 10-2 and reached the club-state semifinals, and the Firebirds are 3-2 this season. The team has outscored opponents 166-76 and is riding a three-game winning streak highlighted by 25-0, 50-0 and 39-12 victories over De Soto, Olathe North and Olathe South. The program has expanded to nearly 40 athletes across varsity and junior varsity rosters.
“Last week, we played a very good Lawrence High (Chesty Lions) team,” Barmann said. “They are very well coached and have players on both sides of the ball that make it difficult. We were able to get a hard-fought 22-13 win on our field.”
The Firebirds are scheduled to play at defending state champion Mill Valley on Monday, Oct. 5, with kickoff listed at 7:30 p.m., the team said. A native of Weston, Mo., Barmann was a standout quarterback for the Kansas Jayhawks from 2003-06, setting a KU sophomore record with 12 passing touchdowns in 2004 and earning Academic All-Big 12 recognition before graduating with a degree in sports management. He joined the Free State coaching staff in 2008 as a paraprofessional and assistant under Bob Lisher and helped develop the program’s quarterbacks before taking the head role for girls flag football.
NFL Sports Blog Take
The Chiefs’ weekly coach recognition underscores growing institutional support for girls flag football after KSHSAA sanctioning and the program’s expansion in Kansas. Barmann’s rapid building of the Free State program from a club to a competitive varsity-level squad, combined with dominant recent scores and nearly 40 participants, suggests the program has depth and momentum heading into a difficult matchup with Mill Valley. Financial grants and public recognition from the Chiefs and the Hunt Family Foundation provide resources and visibility that can help sustain the program as it navigates an expanded competitive landscape.