Huge news emerged from the high school football world on Thursday morning, as Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) head coach Greg Toal announced his retirement, according to a report from NorthJersey.com.

Mike Teel, a Don Bosco Prep alum and former Rutgers quarterback and graduate assistant, will take over as head coach.

Toal finishes his career with a record of 305-55-2. He captured 16 state or sectional titles and two national championships. His legacy will be that he helped elevate New Jersey high school football by taking on top teams from across the country—and winning.

“He is the one who put New Jersey high school football on the national map, no ifs, ands or buts,” said former Ramapo and Hackensack coach Mike Miello told NorthJersey.com. “I think all of New Jersey football owes him a huge debt of gratitude.”

He also leaves behind countless lessons that young coaches can learn from:

• Never be afraid to challenge your team. The reason Toal raised the profile of high school football in the Garden State is because he was willing to play any team. He posted an astonishing 4-0 combined record against De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) and St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). Sure, he lost games, but his grueling schedule demonstrated to his players that he believed in them and helped them prepare for playoff football.
• Learn to delegate. Serving as the head coach of a football team, especially one as high-profile as Don Bosco Prep, comes with countless responsibilities, and no one person can do it alone. Recruiting, parents, alumni, and media all vie for a coach’s time and attention. Toal learned to delegate tasks to people he could trust, which allowed him to:
• Focus on football. Despite constantly being in the national rankings during his time at Don Bosco Prep, Toal paid little attention to where his team was ranked, especially during the season. He tuned out media distractions and focused on what was going to take place between the sidelines.
• Recognize the value of good assistant coaches. A huge factor in Don Bosco Prep’s unprecedented dominance over the New Jersey high school football scene in the mid- to late-2000s was its superb staff of assistant coaches, many of whom have gone on to become high school head coaches and college coaches. As head coach, Toal was the most recognizable figure in the program, but his assistant coaches were also some of the best in the business—and it showed.