Legendary football coach Dick Walker led Bishop Watterson High School to its first state championship in 1966, twelve years after the school opened. Watterson shut out Upper Arlington, led by the great coach Marv Moorhead, 32-0. The schools sit six miles apart. Despite there being no state championship game at the time, this one was decided on the field on the last game of the year (Nov 1) between two unbeatens. Watterson was voted AP & UPI state AA champion.
Coach Walker then moved on. He would eventually replace Lou Holtz as DB coach at Ohio State in 1969 before leaving for the NFL in 1976. Two years later, while on the staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he would get his first of two Super Bowl rings.
In 1992, Brian Kennedy graduated from Bishop Watterson High School. He played three seasons of college football at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and planned to make a life there after graduating.
While still in his twenties, in 2001, Brian temporarily moved back to Columbus. Or so he thought. After meeting his future wife, Brian secured an internship with the Defense Logistics Agency in Columbus, where he has been now for almost twenty five years.
Along the way, he jumped at a volunteer coaching position at his alma mater in 2004. He worked his way up within the coaching ranks and on Jan 31, 2017, was the first Watterson alumni named head football coach.
It was a dream come true.
Brian Kennedy was destined to be a head football coach. He paid his dues and he looks the part – barrel chest and a broad, serious face. His words carry weight. His demeanor screams confidence. You want to play for him.
Nine years later, Kennedy and the Eagles are sitting atop back-to-back division III state championships and a thirty game winning streak. The journey to get here is a testament to hard work, determination and surrounding yourself with great people.
This year’s staff included two former Buckeyes – QB and former captain Steve Bellisari (1998-2001) and his older brother LB Greg Bellisari (1994-1996). Both played briefly in the NFL and have had a great impact on the Eagles football program. Steve, an offensive consultant. Greg, the de facto defensive coordinator.
“(Coach Kennedy) has a connection with every coach and every kid,” said Greg Bellisari. “You do not see that with a lot of football programs and some championship teams.” He went on to call Coach K a great communicator and one of the best head coaches he’s worked with in his career.
“This is as fine a group of men that I have ever been around and the impact they have had,” said Kennedy of his assistant coaches at the Eagles championship celebration two days after winning their second title. Greg’s son Drew played QB for both state champion teams and has signed a scholarship offer to play at Miami University (Ohio). Carter, a cousin of Drew, played both wide receiver and defensive back. He returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown late in the 30-0 championship win over Toledo Central Catholic.
Greg, in fact, has coached many of the kids on the two championship teams since the fourth grade. After his NFL career, Greg returned to Columbus and graduated from the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He is now a practicing orthopedic surgeon in sports medicine and is the team physician for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He likes to stay busy.
Many of Watterson’s coaches are college level material. Watterson’s offensive line coach, who arrived four years ago, is credited with bringing an offense (and language) with him that took almost a year for the team to fully digest. Since his arrival the Eagles have been an offensive juggernaut.
Watterson has clocked 25 of thirty teams since their last loss, in the 2023 state championship game (27-7 to the Irish). A ‘clocking’ means a running clock starts once you have accumulated a 30-point lead in Ohio high school football. Watterson currently has a twenty five game home winning streak, the longest active streak in the state of Ohio. The Eagles scored 637 points this season, the most in school history.
“(The players) do a really good job preparing. They watch a lot of film. They ask good questions. When we go through stuff, they’re focused. We try to put them in a position to just line up and play fast,” said Coach Kennedy.
Community has certainly played its part in this program’s success. Not only is the team united in faith, but the players all grew up together in Catholic feeder elementary schools, competed against one another in a community that joined forces at Watterson to become a family. That familiarity and brotherhood has translated into championships.
The 2025 Watterson senior class leaves as the winningest senior class in the seventy year history of the school with a 44-2 record. “None of this happens without a leader,” said Greg Bellisari. “And there are none better than Brian Kennedy.”
A Watterson High School state championship game watch party took place on Friday, December 5th at the Filling Station in south Powell. At our table we had four 1979 BWHS alumni (plus one being updated in Michigan by text), one 88-year-old dad/grandpa/great grandpa, and as a special bonus, a son-in-law, who was a graduate of Toledo Central Catholic. Game on!
We all reveled in the 30-0 pasting our Eagles delivered to the Irish. TCC managed only 24 yards on the ground all day. The young Irishman amongst us, however, was a good sport.
Coach Kennedy has raised the bar at a school already etched in the state’s football lore. Leading your alma mater to a state championship is a dream come true. Going back to back is legendary.
Sources: Bishop Watterson High School state football title celebration, Sunday, December 7, gymnasium; Watterson football cruises to OHSAA state championship repeat by Frank DiRenna, Dec 5, 2025, www.dispatch.com; www.orthopedicone.com; Playoffs by Timothy L Hudak, www.ohsaa.org; Polls by Timothy L Hudak, www.ohsaa.org; Popularity by Timothy L Hudak, www.ohsaa.org; Watterson vs Arlington 1966 commemorative video Pt – 3, www.youtube.com; Central Ohio’s high school football state champions by Dave Purpura, Dec 4, 2024, www.dispatch.com; Former Watterson coach Dick Walker dies, Jan 15, 2013, www.dispatch.com; Remembering one of the good guys by Steve Hemmelgarn, Feb 7, 2013, The Parkersburg News & Sentinel, www.newsandsentinel.com; Kennedy grateful for the chance to coach Watterson by Jarrod Ulrey, Jan 31, 2017, www.dispatch.com; Strong work ethic sustains record-breaking season for Watterson head coach, DLA division chief by Stefanie Hauck, Jan 22, 2025, www.dla.mil; Wikipedia; Featured picture is Coach Brian Kennedy seconds before winning his first state championship in December, 2024, courtesy Spectrum One.