Coaches
Doug Goltz, Falls City Sacred Heart. One of the most successful coaches in Nebraska eight-man football history, and Nebraska football in general, Doug has compiled a remarkable 307-53 coaching record - and a stunning .852 winning percentage - to go with eight state titles. His teams have qualified for the playoffs a continuing state record of 32 years in a row and his program’s 87 consecutive wins, which yielded six straight state titles from 1989 to 1994, is known as “The Streak”.
Leading a football program that has come to define the term dynasty, Doug has had more than 40 players named to Eight-Man Star Game teams and has served as both an assistant (1992) and head coach (1995) in the game. Doug was also the head coach for the Nebraska-Oklahoma all-star game in 2005 and has been named state Coach of the year on multiple occasions.
Gordon Pilmore, Dodge. Beginning in 1966 Gordon served as Dodge head football coach for 35 years, winning 193 games and fielding many outstanding teams, but it was his program’s four consecutive state titles (1994-1997) that pushed the Pirates into becoming a football dynasty. It was during that span his teams helped cement a stretch of Highway 91 in east central Nebraska as one of the hubs of premier eight-man football.
Throughout his coaching career Gordon coached many all-time great players, including two who are part of the Eight-Man Hall of Fame Class of 2019, and he sites the teaching of life lessons such as hard work, never giving up, and making each season a great experience for his players as his greatest achievements. Gordon sent 10 players to the Eight-Man All-Star Game and was named the Nebraska Coaches Association 1997 Coach of the Year.
Family Legacy Award
Jeff and Joel Makovicka, East Butler. The story of Nebraska high school football, especially the eight-man brand, cannot be told without mention of the Makovicka family.
Jeff rushed for 1,831 yards and scored 264 points in leading East Butler to a perfect 13-0 mark and the 1989 Class D-1 state championship, also setting playoff records for rushing yards and points along the way. He was named all-state and the Class D-1 offensive player of the year, finishing his career with 3,754 rushing yards before setting rushing and scoring records in the 1991 Eight-Man All-Star Game.
A walk-on at Nebraska, his transcendent career would forever alter the perception of the state’s eight-man football players. He became a key player for the Huskers’ powerhouse teams of the 1990s, finishing as part of four conference championship and back-to-back national championship teams (1994-95). After being named all-Big 8 honorable mention he signed as a free agent with both the NFL’s Houston Oilers and San Francisco 49ers.
Joel was a two-time all-stater at East Butler, finishing his prep career with 3,933 yards rushing and scoring records for both season and career tackles. Following his senior season he was selected to play in the 1994 Shrine Bowl and was named the offensive MVP at the Eight-Man All-Star Game that same summer.
From 1995 to 1998 Joel was a member of three national championship teams while playing for the Huskers, becoming one of the most decorated fullbacks in the program’s history, owning position career records for touchdowns in a game, season and career and finishing with 1,447 yards rushing. While at Nebraska he was named to the Big 12 all-Academic team three teams, was name Academic all-American twice, as well as team captain in 1998. In 1999 he was drafted by the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, where he enjoyed a four-year career.
Contributors
Larry Zabloudil, Hastings Sertoma Club. A part of the Sertoma Club’s Eight-Man All-Star Game staff since 1992, in his early years in that role he dedicated his time to selling advertising for the game programs as well as game day T-shirt sales. During game week Larry looks most forward to lining up the many activities for the teams, taking great satisfaction in reminding those around him of the game’s purpose, which is to raise money for the hearing impaired children of Nebraska.
Bob Jensen, Huskerland Prep Report. An Arnold, Nebraska native, Huskerland Bob is one of the most respected members of Nebraska high school sports media. Since 1990 the publisher of Huskerland Prep Report has had enthusiastic high school football fans from across the state seeking out his weekly newspaper and website coverage.
Over the years he has spotlighted small town football across the state, publishing over 1,200 feature articles on eight-man football players. Bob’s efforts to promote the game of eight-man football have been paramount to its continued growth and success.
In 2015 Bob was inducted into the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame.
