Chris Wolfe has won 216-games with 86-losses, a pair of state titles (2015, 2018), and seven (7) trips to the title game (2010, ’15, ’18, 19, ’20, ’21, ’22)
🎶Who's afraid of the big bad Wolf(e)? The big bad Wolf(e) The big bad Wolf(e)... Frank Churchill, Ann Ronell, 1933
There have been lots of “Wolf(e)” stories throughout literature and history which have scared us. If you’re a KHSAA football coach there has been one Wolfe story that, if it hasn’t scared you, you might be one of those “…fools rush in where angels fear to tread…” types. Chris Wolfe has been at Louisville’s Male High School since 2010. He took over for another Male legend we have featured, named Bob Redman. Redman and he shared some similarities-both of them have proven themselves to be coaches who sort of redefined high school play, Redman more defensively with his “confusion defense,” and Wolfe with his “explosive play,” “pass-first” offense. It is pretty noteworthy that Chris Wolfe has rounded into such a fine offensive mind with his having been, primarily, a linebacker (and a really good one) at Campbellsville University in the early to mid-90s. As Barbara Streisand would sing, “Who’s afraid of the big, bad Wolf(e)?” Tra la la la la, indeed…
HB Lyon, Scouting Director, “KPGFootball”
Louisville, KY: “The Big Bad Wolf” is a fictional character with origins primarily in fairy tales and folklore. “The Big Bad Wolfe” is very real and the head football coach at Kentucky’s winningest high school football program, second nationally only to Valdosta High in Georgia.
now Cardinal, with Wolfe
The fictional “Big Bad Wolf” is most famously known as the villain in stories like “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Little Pigs.” The literary version of the “Big Bad Wolf” has developed through the years into a fearsome and cunning antagonist.
The actual “Big Bad Wolfe” is also quite famous. Chris Wolfe has been described as a college football coach disguised and cloaked on the KHSAA level. Wolfe runs his practices, and his program, like a big time college more so than like his brethren run programs throughout the KHSAA.
Wolfe is somewhat an antagonist to other would-be great, high school football coaches around the KHSAA. Throughout his coaching tenure, Wolfe has developed into a fearsome and cunning opponent.
It all started at the beginning. To fully get the composition of this particular Wolfe, we have to go back to his high school playing career.
Wolfe played high school football at Fort Thomas Highlands. The Bluebirds have historically been among Kentucky’s winningest programs and have won 23-football titles. Wolfe won a title with the team in 1989 (Wolfe’s senior season) while playing for Coach Tom Duffy.
There are a few similarities between Duffy and Wolfe. Both of them are 200-plus win guys and both of them won multiple titles with Duffy winning four (4) and Wolfe winning two (2).
Both are thought of as high-IQ, outside the norms of everyday, high school football convention. Both coaches are innovators. Both coaches have been noted for taking extraordinary paths to arrive at success-laden outcomes.
Wolfe went on to play for Campbellsville University where he played linebacker and played it exceedingly well. It was at Campbellsville, Wolfe told Courier-Journal’s Sports Editor, Jason Frakes, where Wolfe decided he had the “chops” to coach the game.
It was in a Campbellsville dorm room, while his roommates organized video game tournaments, that Wolfe spent time organizing scouting reports. It was Wolfe’s ability to analyze statistics, and then use them to arrive at sound strategy, which has always made a huge difference in Wolfe’s career.
Wolfe designed an offense which leaned heavily on explosive plays. Wolfe defined an “explosive play” as a run of 12 or more yards or a pass play of 16 or more yards.
Wolfe’s Male High Bulldogs have been explosive. Male has gained explosive plays in both the running and passing attacks by the bushel-barrel.
…I just don’t want to lose…
Chris Wolfe to Jason Frakes
“I don’t care if we win. I just don’t want to lose,” Wolfe told the Courier-Journal in a 2019 article on the eve of his playing for a state title. “The thought of losing drives me more than the idea that we’re going to win. The fear of losing trumps the excitement of winning.”
Wolfe is anything but predictable. Wolfe disregards such cliché distinctions like, “whoever wins the turnover battle will win the game,” and “you have to run the football (pound the rock) to win championships.” In a commonwealth filled with advocates for running the football, Wolfe orchestrates a pass-first, big-play, offensive philosophy.
It defies convention. It defies everything the “old guard” would promote. It also works with Wolfe’s athletes, with Wolfe’s personnel.
Career records are hard to track sometimes. Unless the target of the feature is among the “All Time Winningest,” the KHSAA really doesn’t have a place to go look up such statistics. It is the nature of the beast. Don’t get me started.
Young guys like Wolfe, whose careers are from 1998 forward (for the most part), amass won-loss records we can reconstruct if we are willing. We have Chris Wolfe at 216-86, all time.
That comes to a winning percentage of right at 72% with two titles (2015, 2018). You may add another five trips to the state 6A finals where Male came away runners-up.
Wolfe has won 216-games, 72% of the games he has coached, and two (2)-titles amongst seven (7) trips to the finals
KHSAA Statistical Website
Wolfe’s 2015 team ended the year the KHSAA Class 6A football champion and ranked in the Top-10 nationally of the USA Today’s “Super 25.” If we are searching for “dead-on” accuracy, Male finished the year ranked sixth (6th).
Coach Wolfe isn’t much of a politician. Matter of fact, Wolfe doesn’t really care what you think of him nor whether or not you even like him. Wolfe is how he is, take him or leave him.
I met Chris Wolfe once. The head basketball coach at Male, Tim Hayworth, was being inducted into the Hopkinsville High School Hall of Fame. Coach Wolfe came with Hayworth to support his induction.
For however aloof and distant Wolfe may appear to strangers, Wolfe appears to be a very loyal and devoted friend. That says something grand about the man in my estimation.
In the interests of full disclosure, I don’t always agree with local Hall of Fame enshrinements. Right or wrong, I feel matters apart from actual, on field success and program contributions tend to weigh heavily on selections.
Men and women who should gain induction often don’t. Men and women whose contributions were from meager to virtually non-existent seem to get canonized for no apparent reason.
I happened to agree with Coach Hayworth’s induction, not that anyone has ever asked. I went to his induction to support Coach Hayworth because I believed him amply worthy.
Coach Wolfe was standing off to the side. I recognized him so I went up to introduce myself.
“Coach Wolfe,” I said, thrusting my hand forward to shake his, “my name is Fletcher Long. I am also known as ‘Friday Night Fletch’ and I am a Senior Writer for Kentucky Prep Gridiron.”
I will have to be honest here. Wolfe appeared unimpressed.
Coach Wolfe shook my hand but looked at me with the blank stare that reeked with heavy doses of “Whoop-De-Doo.” I could see it simmering beneath his expressionless glare. I could taste it. I could almost smell it.
I made a few more uneasy attempts at small talk unsuccessfully before I recessed back into the sea of well-wishers. While I have to admit, Coach Wolfe didn’t make much better of an impression on me than I obviously had on him; Wolfe’s numbers are his numbers.
We dispassionately report, on this forum, what we honestly believe. What we believe remains unaffected by what the person we feature thinks of us; or, what we may think of him.
It is business. It isn’t personal.
🎶Who's afraid of the big bad Wolfe?
Tra la la la la...🎶
Whether I find Coach Wolfe warm and fuzzy or somewhat aloof doesn’t really matter in the end. Coach Wolfe’s among the very best high school coaches in the KHSAA industry. That’s just a fact.
So, in the end, who’s afraid of the big, bad Chris Wolfe, Tra la, la, la, la? Perhaps we all should be…
This is Friday Night Fletch, reporting for KPGFootball, reminding you to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE!
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