The Green Bay Packers have announced that Joel Nellis of Brookfield Central High School in Brookfield, Wis., has been named the Packers High School Coach of the Week.
Nellis, in his eighth season as head coach at Brookfield Central, has the Lancers preparing for Level 3 of the WIAA Division 2 playoffs this week. They look to advance to the Level 4 state semifinals for the second time under Nellis' leadership. An up-and-down regular season, in which the Lancers faced one of the state's most challenging schedules, ended with a 3-6 record and a playoff berth as a No. 7 seed. Despite their regular-season record, the Lancers are playing their best when it matters most, defeating second-seeded Beaver Dam and No. 6 seed River Falls to earn a matchup with top-seeded New Richmond this week.
“I really feel like our core values have led our guys to the successes they have had,” Nellis said. “For us, our culture is about being a brotherhood, and that’s built on our relentlessness, discipline, sacrifice, trust and unity. I think that all of those things have come together, and that’s what we’ve continued to build and reinforce throughout the year, and our guys have been consistent. We feel confident because we’ve had such challenges throughout the regular season that it’s equipped us to handle the difficulties of going on the road in the playoffs and staying consistent with our values, and that’s what I’m most proud of with this team.”
Nellis grew up in Madison, Wis. and graduated from Madison Memorial High School in 2001, where he played tight end, quarterback and safety under Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee Gary Kolpin. He went on to attend the University of Wisconsin – Madison, playing tight end for the Badgers under legendary head coach Barry Alvarez, and graduated in 2006. Nellis began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Brookfield Central before taking a break from coaching. In 2014, he returned to the assistant coaching role at Brookfield Central and was named the head coach of the Lancers in early 2019.
When asked why he coaches football, Nellis noted it’s to teach life lessons bigger than the game, crediting the Brookfield community for sharing in those values.
“I coach to build young men to live out these core values long after they graduate,” Nellis said. “Football is challenging and we embrace everything about that. I feel like this is the best classroom. You can’t AI or ChatGPT fourth down and 1 from a personal level, and kids need to know there’s real consequences and outcomes one way or another, and you have to respond to those outcomes. Just like in life, when things don’t go your way, how will you respond and get back up? I’m thankful that our Brookfield parents and school community know that we are coaching football for the right reasons, and I’m appreciative that they value those things more than the win-loss outcomes.
Nellis is honored to win the Coach of the Week award but gives credit to the entire Lancer team.
“The coach of the week is the team of the week,” said Nellis. “It really means a lot to not just me, but our coaching staff and players who all put in a ton of work. Their resilience, effort and attitudes so far in this playoff run after a tough regular season are what is most rewarding.”
Nellis and his staff oversee a program of 90 players, with 50 of them suiting up for varsity games. His assistant coaching staff includes Jacob Mogensen, Andrew Flegel, Clay Iverson, Dan D’Amico, Peter Wellsmith, Rob Goeckermann, Dan Patrick, Tommy Bloom and Barry Ritchey.
Outside of coaching football, Nellis is a physical education teacher at Brookfield Central. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons, Adrik and Anden, and one daughter, Annika.
About the Green Bay Packers High School Coach of the Week Program:
The Packers will recognize one outstanding high school coach as their ‘Coach of the Week’ winner during the 2026 high school football season. Winners are awarded several items and privileges, including a $1,000 donation to the school’s football program from the Green Bay Packers and the NFL Foundation, as well as recognition of the award on Packers.com, boundwisconsin.com and wifca.org.
Nominations for Coach of the Week should be submitted by 10 a.m. every Monday to Jake Krueger, Football Outreach Coordinator, at [email protected]. Please include the nominee’s name, address, school, phone number and reason he/she is deserving of the award.
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].
