TNHS SPORTS: Brohm named Generals' football coach

To build its football program from the ground floor up, Thomas Nelson High School reached for the stars and found a name that goes hand-in-hand with football in Kentucky.

Peter W. Zubaty

New Thomas Nelson football coach Greg Brohm was introduced to the public in a ceremony Wednesday night at the school’s fieldhouse.

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On Wednesday, the school announced in a press release it had named Greg Brohm to be the Generals’ first coach.

“The thing that intrigued me the most is the opportunity to take something from the ground floor and build it step-by-step,” said Brohm, the former Director of Football Operations at the University of Louisville. “I’ve been fortunate to have had many great football influences in my life, and the chance to implement what I have learned in a new, fresh situation is exciting. It is a great responsibility — a great challenge to start a program and build a culture of success.”

Thomas Nelson High School will compete at the junior varsity level its first season and take on a varsity district schedule after that.

Brohm, a wide receiver at Louisville in the ’80s, hails from perhaps the most well-known football family in Kentucky. His father, Oscar, and brothers, Jeff and Brian, all played quarterback for Louisville.

Greg Brohm previously served as offensive coordinator and team president for the Louisville Fire arena football team, and also was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Trinity, and served the past two seasons as an assistant at DeSales. He also is active on the Louisville airwaves as a radio and TV host.

“He has such a unique football experience,” TNHS co-athletic director Sara Thurmond said. “On the field; off the field; behind the scenes. At all levels.”

Brohm was formally introduced Wednesday night at a ceremony at the Thomas Nelson fieldhouse, and he said his experiences as an assistant under several quality coaches will help him through the program’s early growing pains.

“From them, I’ve learned how to build a program, to build a winner,” he said. “The growth of this program will take some time. There will be challenges.”

It is uncertain at this point what class Thomas Nelson will compete in once the team is participating in a district varsity schedule. Enrollment projections suggest the Generals will likely end up in Class 2A, where Bardstown and Washington County would be natural rivals, or perhaps in 3A with LaRue County and Elizabethtown.

Brohm said success will come, but not instantly.

“I think the development of this program will be a process,” he said. Playing the JV schedule the first year will “allow the players a chance to get to know each other and the new environment. It will help us bond as a team; allow us time to sharpen our skills as players and find our identity as a program. The community will be able to get to know us and we can learn and grow at a natural pace.

“I envision a program that is about the players, the school community, and the experience of high school football, which is so unique and rewarding,” Brohm added. “This first year gives us the chance to ramp up. It’s just working smart.”

At Wednesday’s ceremony, Brohm told the future Thomas Nelson students in attendance that, as the first students at the school, theirs will be a special experience.

“This place is new (and) it’s exciting to be here,” he said.