Eight years ago Tyler Schilhabel got into an accident riding his ATV at Pismo Beach. At 16, the Independence High School quarterback was paralyzed from the chest down. Now, the former on-field star will make his return to the Independence High sideline as Coach Schilhabel, as the Falcons next head football coach.
In a tweet Schilhabel said, “Excited for this opportunity. Ready to get to work and continue building the falcon football program and working with great young men!”
In a statement from Independence High School Dean of Athletics, Derek LaRosa, said, "I am very excited to have Tyler coming back our Independence family. He is a supreme role model and positive example for our student-athletes and displays the leadership qualities, positive attitude and passion for football that we are looking for at Independence High School."
Schilhabel graduated from Independence High School in 2012, the first graduating class to spend all four years at Independence High School. Last year Schilhabel was the special teams assistant coach for the University of Utah Utes football team.
Independence High School will start their 2018 season on August 17th at home versus South (Bakersfield) High. Kickoff is at 7:30pm.
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