CHATHAM, Ill. – James Dambacher was approved by the Ball-Chatham Board of Education on Wednesday evening, Feb. 25 to be the next head football coach at Glenwood High School.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Dambacher to Glenwood High School as the head football coach,” GHS Athletic Director Caitlyn Moody said. “It is evident that he brings not only a deep knowledge of the game, but also a genuine passion for mentoring young people. We are excited to add him to our community and confident that Coach Dambacher will lead a program that everyone will be proud of. I can’t wait to watch him succeed both on and off the field.”
Dambacher spent the 2025 football season assisting the defense at nearby Auburn High School. Prior to his most recent stint with the Trojans, Dambacher was the head football coach at New Berlin High School during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He guided the Pretzels to a 7-3 record in 2024 thus ending a playoff drought that dated back to 2015.
“My family and I are truly honored to become part of the Ball-Chatham and Glenwood High School community,” Dambacher said. “Glenwood already represents discipline, accountability, and pride. It is clear that those values have been built and sustained over time. I am grateful to the administration for the trust they have placed in me to continue leading a program with such a strong foundation. Alongside our future coaching staff, I look forward to building on that tradition. We will continue to develop high-character student-athletes and strive for excellence both on Friday nights and in the classroom and community.”
From 2018-23, Dambacher served as the defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator at Auburn under the tutelage of Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer Dave Bates and later former teammate Ryan Gardner.
The 2010 Auburn High School graduate played collegiately at Illinois College and excelled at defensive end earning the distinction of Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. After graduating from Illinois College in 2015, Dambacher joined the United States Marine Corps with two promotions before receiving a medical discharge. He returned to IC in 2017 as the Blueboys linebackers coach.
Dambacher will become the sixth head coach in Glenwood football program history, following a successful 10-year tenure by David Hay.
