By RICK PETERSON 
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks, TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time coaching greats in 14 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. Readers will have the opportunity to vote through July 15, with the Top 10 in all categories announced in July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best football coach click on https://poll-maker.com/poll4393106xD36C490c-138 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Retiring Silver Lake legend C.J. Hamilton has to be considered the man to beat in TopSports.news' Best of the Best Coaches project for football.
C.J. Hamilton, the winningest coach in Kansas history, was inducted into the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. [File photo]
Derick Hammes has coached Rossville to five state football championships, including undefeated titles the past two seasons. [File photo/TSN]
Ron Bowen guided Washburn Rural to three Class 5A state football championships and a runner-up finish in 6A during his 23-year tenure at the school. [Submitted]
Hayden football coach Bill Arnold led the Wildcats to the Class 4A state championship in 2008. [File photo/TSN]
After all, Hamilton is Kansas' all-time leader with 447 career victories while coaching eight Eagle teams to state championships and a total of 18 Silver Lake teams that reached the state championship game.
But Hamilton is not the only legend or budding legend in the area, with the list of Best of the Best candidates including four other Shawnee County coaches who have won state championships.
Derick Hammes has already led Rossville to five state titles in nine seasons, including the past two undefeated Class 2A championships, while Ron Bowen's Washburn Rural teams captured three 5A titles in the 1980s and also posted a runner-up finish in 6A, former Hayden coach Tom Stringer led the Wildcats to a pair of undefeated 4A championships and current Wildcat coach Bill Arnold won a 4A crown in 2008.
Frank Walton made Topeka West a consistent winner from the late 1970s through the '80s into the early '90s, posting winning records in 12 of 16 seasons, while former Topeka High coach Walt Alexander took over a Trojan program that had suffered through 11 straight losing seasons and posted winning seasons in 10 of his last 11 years at the school, including an 89-50 overall record (on the field) at High.
The list of candidates also includes four coaches who made their mark before the advent of Kansas State High School Activities Association playoffs -- Seaman's Chuck Logan and Topeka High's Buck Weaver, Heavy Erwin and Larry Reid -- who built successful programs in the 1920s, '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s.
Several other current and former Shawnee County coaches have also put together long, successful careers, including former Seaman coach Bill Lowe, former Rossville coach Hal Taliaferro, former Rossville and current Washburn Rural coach Steve Buhler and current Shawnee Heights coach Jason Swift.
Eleven candidates are listed at https://poll-maker.com/poll4393106xD36C490c-138 while readers also have the option of writing in a name.
Vote as many times as you wish, with the only requirement that eligible candidates must have served as a head coach or assistant at one of the county's 10 high schools.
Final selections will be based on reader vote as well as input from TSN contributors and current and past local sports media professionals.
Votes will be accepted through July 15 before TSN publishes our Best of the Best lists in July and August.
NEXT UP: Golf (Ballot will be posted on July 3).
