David Schoettler, a defensive tackle on the Mankato West High School football team in Mankato, Minnesota, failed to make a tackle as the offense scored a touchdown during a game in 1999.
As a result, the senior got benched for the remainder of the game by the defensive coordinator, Tim Walz, who went on to become the governor of Minnesota and the Democratic vice presidential nominee 25 years later.
Schoettler told The Epoch Times that Walz was tough but not aggressive, a “phenomenal coach” who held his players accountable.
The benching, he said, was Walz being like a “disappointed dad.”
“He wasn’t one of the coaches that yells and screams,” he said….