John Brouillette

Gymnastics Head Coach - 1972-1977

"In 1972, Shawnee Mission South hired a new biology teacher and gymnastics Head Coach – John Brouillette. At the time, Lawrence High School was the well-established power house of boys' high school gymnastics. However, John Brouillette helped Raider gymnastics overcome the Lawrence dynasty and rise above all other schools, as well. Coach Brouillette coached gymnastics at Shawnee Mission South from 1972-1977, a run of 5 seasons. During that time, he won 4 State Gymnastics Championships. Before Coach came to Shawnee Mission South, Lawrence had won every State Championship since 1962. Once Coach Brouillette had his team, his structure and culture in place, he started to chip away at the Lawrence dynasty. His work culminated in 1975 with the first Raider State Championship win. From that point forward, Coach Brouillette never lost a State Championship with the Raiders. We won both the State Championships in 1976 when KSHAA moved the sport from the Spring to the Fall. However, 1977 was the year where the true mastery of John's coaching became apparent. Going into the State Championship, the Raiders had only won 2 competitions all year. The team had lost some very talented athletes due to graduations, but Coach Brouillette had the gymnasts working on harder skills all year, building up their confidence to perform them in competitions. Leading up to the State Championship, Coach Brouillete and the gymnasts decided to throw caution to the wind and performed those more difficult skills successfully, winning the State Championship in a huge upset. John was able to motivate athletes to accomplish things they never thought they could – which is an indicator of his successful leadership and coaching ability. Though he wasn't the Raider gymnastic coach for very long, he certainly made his mark – 4 State Championships in 5 seasons. Welcome to the Raider Athletic Hall of Fame, John – a well deserved honor."