Tom Grippa has won more football games than any head coach in Milford High School history. The 2026 season marks his 10th leading the Eagles.

Grippa, now in his 49th year as a teacher and coach, broke the program's all-time wins record on Sept. 13, 2024, when Milford beat Loveland 19-12 for his 54th victory at the school. The win moved him past former record-holder Jim Prather, according to Milford Schools' "Meet Your Coach" series published Sept. 1.

Since arriving at Milford in 2017, Grippa has guided the Eagles to two Eastern Cincinnati Conference championships, multiple playoff appearances, the program's first playoff victory and its first 10-0 season. His career head-coaching record across four schools stood at 235-139 with nine conference titles as of the school district's profile.

The record-setting win against Loveland capped a run that transformed a program Grippa inherited without recent postseason success. By 2018, Milford had earned back-to-back playoff berths in 2017 and 2018, WCPO reported at the time.

Grippa picked two moments as his favorite Milford memories in the school district's profile. One was a 2018 comeback against Fairfield, a school he once coached, when the Eagles erased a 35-7 third-quarter deficit to win 39-35. The other was the 2023 ECC title-clincher against Winton Woods.

"We took a 3-0 lead with fewer than two minutes remaining," Grippa said in the profile. "Winton Woods drove down the field and attempted a field goal to tie the game with 10 seconds left. As the kick went up, it looked good, and I was mentally preparing for overtime. However, it doinked off the upright, and we won the game to secure Milford's first 10-0 season."

Before Milford, Grippa compiled an 85-23 record at Elder High School from 1987 to 1997, winning six Greater Catholic League titles. He went 31-32 at Fairfield High School, leading that program to a playoff victory in 2000, then posted a 59-44 mark over 10 seasons at La Salle High School. He served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Mount St. Joseph University from 2013 to 2016 before taking the Milford job.

The Cincinnati Bengals recognized Grippa with the Paul Brown Excellence in Coaching Award after the 2023 season. The honor has been given annually since 2002 to outstanding high school football coaches in the region.

Football is a family operation for Grippa. His son, Jimmy Grippa, teaches at Milford Academy and serves as the Eagles' defensive coordinator. Two grandsons are also in the program: Liam Farrell is a freshman and Graeme Farrell is an eighth-grader.

The Eagles opened the 2026 season with a 47-7 win over Walnut Hills on Aug. 28, according to a player post that Grippa shared on X. Quarterback Wehrum completed 17 of 22 passes for 340 yards and five touchdowns in his first varsity start, according to the same post.