With a legacy rooted in service, leadership, and unwavering dedication, retired Army Sergeant First Class Aaron Myall has seamlessly transitioned from the front lines of the military to the sidelines of high school football. Currently serving as the Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers/Running Backs Coach for the sophomore team at Hinsdale Central High School in Illinois, Myall brings over a decade of coaching experience and a lifetime of mentorship to the field. Honored as Soldier Coach of the Month for August 2025 by Soldiers To Sidelines, Myall’s story is one of purpose-driven passion—where teaching, teamwork, and transformation continue well beyond the uniform. Here is more about his journey below.
STS: Tell your story about how and why you went into coaching. Discuss how coaching has impacted you as a person.
Coach Myall: I retired from the 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell, KY, in June 2015 and moved the family to the west suburbs of Chicago. I was able to immediately join the staff of the local youth football program and coach the team my son and nephew played on. I fell in love with the coaching process, the strategy, and the teaching. More so, I loved being part of a team again, which I missed more than expected after retirement. Playing High School football taught me lessons that I used to be successful in my military career, and I love working to pass those lessons on to each of my players. Coaching brings me a sense of fulfillment in continuing to give back to my community.
STS: How has your military experience influenced you as a coach?
Coach Myall: A large aspect of being a Non-Commissioned Officer in the Army is teaching, mentoring, and coaching. Whether it was instructing on a platform with a fully formed lesson plan and period of instruction, or it was filling some downtime by going over an aspect of a soldier’s day-to-day job to ensure they were prepared to be successful when the time came, or helping a foreign military learn new ways of doing something. But it was more than just “coaching” and moving on. It was the relationships that were formed, nurtured, grown, and fostered. I’ve taken that approach to coaching football.
STS: How has Soldiers To Sidelines impacted your life?
Coach Myall: STS has not only given me opportunities to grow my football acumen, but my coaching network as well. I now have coaches around the nation I can reach out to if there is something I am struggling with who will give their time and counsel to help. I’m not talking just about “X”s and “O”s – I mean anything. Coaches who have a shared past experience and continue to have a shared experience today.
STS: Describe a coaching interaction with a player, or group of players, that has a special place in your heart?
Coach Myall: It is hard to name just one experience, but every time I run into a former player and they still refer to me as “Coach” means a lot to me. I’m fortunate to be one of many coaches whose players have gone on to achieve great things, both on the field and off. When a current NFL player answers a congratulatory text message starting with “Coach”, I know I made a positive impact. When a former player who wasn’t a high school starter goes on to college, then gets his MBA, and is now rising fast in the corporate world, and still calls me “Coach” when I see him in town – I get the same feeling of satisfaction and gratitude.
STS: What are your aspirations in coaching?
Coach Myall: I love my position with the Sophomores. I get to bridge the gap between Freshman football and Varsity, form relationships with players, coach them hard, then be one of their biggest fans when they go to Varsity. As I tell my program Head Coach, I will coach at what level of position that is best for the program.
I would like to experience coaching the Varsity level, where the stakes are higher, but I am not willing to leave my current program.
I also work with Bo Jackson Elite Sports and am working on ways to grow football programming with them, specifically in Girls Flag Football, which recently became a Varsity Sport in Illinois.
STS: What was the most difficult challenge you have experienced in coaching, and what have you learned from that experience?
Coach Myall: My most difficult lesson I’ve learned is humility – recognizing just because I am not working with Varsity every day doesn’t mean I’m less important in the program. Going from a Special Forces career to now being a lower-level coach is humbling. However, I know I’m in the right spot for me and the program, and I’ll continue to give each kid – whether we are running scout or 1st team – the coaching they deserve, and opportunities they earn.
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