2011 Coach of the yearHall of Achievement

The High School Hall of Achievement is an elite group of former high school athletes who have distinguished themselves in their professional careers. The inductees serve as tremendous role models for high school athletes. Their message is to employ the values and skills learned in athletics and apply them to your professional career. We are proud of their success and are honored to claim them in our High School Hall of Fame family.

William H. Hall High School

Curnias has had a successful career in multiple sports as she led the Girls’ Track & Field, Cross Country and  Gymnastics.

Curnias has had a successful career in multiple sports as she led the Girls’ Track & Field, Cross Country and  Gymnastics.

  • Coached multiple teams to State Championships and Runner Up finishes over her career
  • 2005 CHSCA Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 1992 NFHS Coach of the Year
  • Girls' Track & Field
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Susan Curnias 

    William H. Hall High School

    West Hartford,
    Connecticut

    Impact Statement

    Curnias has had a successful career in multiple sports as she led the Girls’ Track & Field, Cross Country and  Gymnastics.

    Biography

    The second NHSCA National Coach of the Year from William H. Hall in as many years, Curnias is the only woman to be named Coach of the Year by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) in three sports. She was 78-37 in nine seasons as Hall’s gymnastics coach and was named Coach of the Year in 1980.

    In 27 years as Hall’s cross country coach, Curnias is 338-97-1, winning a Class L state title in 1987 and Coach of the Year honors in 1988. And Curnias is in her 34th season as Hall’s track and field coach. The 1990 Coach of the Year, her teams won Class L and State Open titles in 1986 and have finished second in state five times, including three straight Class LL runnerup finishes in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and have won 11 Central Connecticut Conference Western Division titles. She also coached swimming for two years at another West Hartford school, Conard High School, with a 14-5 record.

    Inducted into the CHSCA Hall of Fame in 2005, Curnias was named National Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations in 1992. The NHSACA named her Region Coach of the Year in track and field in 1991 and in cross country in 2004.

    At the 40th annual Lindy J. Remigino (NHSCA Boys Track and Field National Coach of the Year in 2002) Outdoor Track and Field Invitational next month in New Britain, the women’s 100-meter hurdles has been renamed the Sue Curnias Women’s 100m Hurdles in her honor.

    Curnias retired from teaching following the 2012 school year.


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  • Coached multiple teams to State Championships and Runner Up finishes over her career
  • Professional Achievements

  • 2005 CHSCA Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 1992 NFHS Coach of the Year
  • Mountain View High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    Robinson’s career spans over 50 years in two different states, including 31 seasons as a boys and girls track and field coach.

    Robinson’s career spans over 50 years in two different states, including 31 seasons as a boys and girls track and field coach.

  • Coached multiple state championship boys and girls teams
  • 2015 Arizona High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Toro Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Victory with Honor Coach of the Year Honoree
  • 2008 NHSACA Coach of the Year
  • 5x Arizona Coach of the Year
  • Boys' Track & Field
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Robbie Robinson

    Mountain View High School

    Mesa,
    Arizona

    Impact Statement

    Robinson’s career spans over 50 years in two different states, including 31 seasons as a boys and girls track and field coach.

    Biography

    Robinson’s career spans over 50 years in two different states, including 31 seasons as a boys and girls track and field coach.

    He started his career in Minnesota, where, in addition to his teaching and coaching duties, he served 10 years as an athletic director and was the founder and first meet director of the prestigious Mayo Invitational in Rochester.

    He came to Mountain View in 1988, and during his career, he has led both the Toros boys and girls teams to four state titles. His boys teams won 5A state titles in 1994, 2000, 2003, and 2004 and also earned eight state runner-up finishes, in 1988, 1989, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2008, and 2010.

    Through his first 20 seasons, his teams recorded a dual-meet and multi-meet record of 2,819-119 and also won 20 region titles. His girls teams were state champions in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1997. He typically has about 130 boys out for track and field, and during his tenure as the girls coach, about 100 girls typically came out for the sport.

    A five-time Arizona Coach of the Year, Robinson was a three-time Region Coach of the Year selection by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA), and the NHSACA named him its National Coach of the Year in 2008. Robinson was awarded the Victory with Honor Coach of the Year award by the Arizona Interscholastic Association this year.

    Despite retiring from teaching, Robinson has continued to coach at Mesa. In 2015, Robinson was inducted into the Arizona High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.


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  • Coached multiple state championship boys and girls teams
  • Professional Achievements

  • 2015 Arizona High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Toro Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Victory with Honor Coach of the Year Honoree
  • 2008 NHSACA Coach of the Year
  • 5x Arizona Coach of the Year
  • Lewiston High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    Murphy is still building on her tremendous career that boasts twelve State Titles, including one in 2019.

    Murphy is still building on her tremendous career that boasts twelve State Titles, including one in 2019.

  • Coached 13 State Championships teams
  • 2018 Maine Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 2008 NFHS Coach of the Year
  • Girls' Tennis
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Anita Murphy

    Lewiston High School

    Lewiston,
    Maine

    Impact Statement

    Murphy is still building on her tremendous career that boasts twelve State Titles, including one in 2019.

    Biography

    Now retired from teaching, Murphy led two girls sports powerhouses at Lewiston, and her resume includes a combined 20 state championships. She is starting her 34th season as girls tennis coach, and under her direction, the Blue Devils are the five-time defending Class A state champions.

    Her teams have made 18 trips to the state championship match and won 11 state titles overall, along with 13 Eastern Maine regional titles and 16 conference titles. Murphy’s career record is 391-56, and entering this season, her teams had not lost a match since the 2005 regional. Murphy also led the Lewiston girls soccer team to nine state titles, ending a run of 30 years as head coach with a third straight state title in 2009.

    Murphy has received the Auburn-Lewiston Sports Hall of Fame Presidential Award 11 times and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. A recipient of the USA Tennis New England Junior Tennis Chapter of the Year award for her work with Lewiston’s youth tennis program, Murphy was named the Maine Tennis Coach of the Year in 2001 and was recognized by the National Federation of State High School Associations as its National Girls Tennis Coach of the Year in 2008.

    This spring, she was one of five recipients of the Unsung Heroines in Maine Sports awards presented during the Mentoring Women in Sports XIII Conference, hosted by the Maine Principals Association.

    Since being honored, Murphy has continued to lead Lewiston to success. Her girls went on to place second in the state another three times in 2015, 2016, and 2018. In 2018, she was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame. Most recently, her team won the 2019 State Championship. Making this one special, her granddaughter was a team member. She has coached her daughter as well.


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  • Coached 13 State Championships teams
  • Professional Achievements

  • 2018 Maine Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 2008 NFHS Coach of the Year
  • Gulliver Preparatory School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    Mulligan has led Gulliver Prep to many state titles during the course of her career in both the boys’ and girls’ tennis programs.

    Mulligan has led Gulliver Prep to many state titles during the course of her career in both the boys’ and girls’ tennis programs.

  • Coached Girls' team to 8 State Championships
  • 2014 Gulliver Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee
  • The Miami Herald's Coach of the Year
  • Boys' Tennis
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Kelly Mulligan

    Gulliver Preparatory School

    Miami,
    Florida

    Impact Statement

    Mulligan has led Gulliver Prep to many state titles during the course of her career in both the boys’ and girls’ tennis programs.

    Biography

    Mulligan has coached the boys and girls teams at Gulliver Prep for 22 seasons, and now owns a total of 11 2A state team titles. Seven of those have been won by her boys teams, which have finished in the state’s top two in nine of the past 10 seasons.

    This spring, her boys team, which included just one senior and five freshmen, rolled to its fifth consecutive state team title by scoring a clean sweep, capturing all five singles titles and both doubles titles for a perfect 21 state tournament points. The only other boys team in any class to achieve a perfect score of 21 in the last decade: Gulliver Prep’s 2009 state championship team. Her boys teams also won titles in 2003 and 2005, finishing second in 2002 and 2004. Mulligan also has coached two boys to individual singles titles and three doubles teams to state crowns.

    One of them, current Northwestern University standout Raleigh Smith, was named the NHSCA National High School Athlete of the Year in 2010. Gulliver Prep’s five consecutive titles are the state’s longest current streak and the third longest in state history, and their seven titles are fifth best in state history.

    The Miami Herald named Mulligan the All-Dade Boys Coach of the Year in 2008, and she was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Florida Coach of the Year in 2009, after previously being awarded the state’s 2A honor.

    Since being honored, Mulligan is still coaching the Girls’ team at Gulliver Prep. In addition, she’s also the girls’ golf coach. In 2014, Mulligan was inducted into the Gulliver Athletic Hall of Fame for her dedication and success to her teams. Her girls placed second in 2012 and won another State Championships in 2013, 2014, and 2019. Her boys’ team also placed second in 2012 and won the following year.


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  • Coached Girls' team to 8 State Championships
  • Professional Achievements

  • 2014 Gulliver Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee
  • The Miami Herald's Coach of the Year
  • Charlotte Catholic High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    Charlotte Catholic had a successful swimming program before Gross arrived at the school nine years ago, and he has elevated that tradition.

    Charlotte Catholic had a successful swimming program before Gross arrived at the school nine years ago, and he has elevated that tradition.

  • Has coached multiple teams to state championships
  • Girls' Swimming
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Brian Gross

    Charlotte Catholic High School

    Charlotte ,
    North Carolina

    Impact Statement

    Charlotte Catholic had a successful swimming program before Gross arrived at the school nine years ago, and he has elevated that tradition.

    Biography

    Charlotte Catholic had a successful swimming program before Gross arrived at the school nine years ago, and he has elevated that tradition. His girls teams have won the state team title in every one of his nine seasons at the helm, winning Class A-AA state crowns from 2003-2005 and 3A titles the past six seasons.

    The Cougars have won the past seven state meets by an average margin of 146 points, and their overall streak of state titles currently stands at 10 (with 12 titles overall). His swimmers own seven of the 12 existing state meet records, and with all 18 scorers returning next season, his Cougars seem assured of stretching their overall streak to 11. Gross also guided the boys team to four straight team titles, from 2005-2008, and his boys finished second in state the past three years.

    Named Coach of the Year by The Charlotte Observer in 2006, 2008 and again this year, Gross is a 1997 graduate of Wright State University, where he was a four-year member, captain and Most Valuable member of the swimming team, was the director of the Raider S.K.I.L.L.S. Program and Assistant Director of Special Olympics Swimming. Gross has been Vice President and Senior Recruiting Consultant at Wells Fargo Bank since 2005, and holds the Certified Internet Recruiter (CIR) certification.


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  • Has coached multiple teams to state championships
  • Edina High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    “I kept going for a long time because I love the sport, I enjoyed everything about the job – the families, the swimming community, and most of all the kids”

    “I kept going for a long time because I love the sport, I enjoyed everything about the job – the families, the swimming community, and most of all the kids”

  • Coached 10 State Championship teams
  • 2011 NISCA Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 1991 MSHSCA Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Boys' Swimming
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Art Downey

    Edina High School

    Edina,
    Minnesota

    Impact Statement

    “I kept going for a long time because I love the sport, I enjoyed everything about the job – the families, the swimming community, and most of all the kids”

    Biography

    Downey retired from a 34-year teaching career nearly two decades ago, but at age 83, he is still going strong as the school’s swimming coach. He just completed his 55th year at Edina-Morningside High School, Edina and Edina East High School, when the district had two high schools.

    His teams have won 10 state titles – in 1965, 1967, 1968, 1984, 1986, 1987, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2010 – and posted a career dual-meet record of 483-141-1. That included a 24-1 record this past season, when the Hornets finished third in state. His swimmers produced three individual event wins this year, giving Downey 58 career winners.

    Named district Coach of the Year 11 times, state Coach of the Year six times and a National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (NISCA) National Coach of the Year, Downey has served in every swimming leadership capacity in Minnesota. He was a co-founder of the Minnesota Swimming Coaches Association, has served as chairman of the Minnesota Swimming Hall of Fame since its inception in 1978 and has served as NISCA’s Minnesota state delegate since 1980. Downey is a member of seven Halls of Fame, most recently his induction into the NISCA Hall of Fame this year.

    Since being honored in 2011, Downey continued to coach until retirement in May of 2018 after 62 years at the helm. He was the only coach in the Edina High School’s swim program.


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    Records

  • Coached 10 State Championship teams
  • Professional Achievements

  • 2011 NISCA Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 1991 MSHSCA Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Rivendell Academy

    2011 Coach of the Year

    “I knew right then that I loved coaching.” -Hank Tenney after coaching a recreation basketball team while in high school

    “I knew right then that I loved coaching.” -Hank Tenney after coaching a recreation basketball team while in high school

  • Career record 432-79-17
  • Coached 6 State Championship teams
  • 1998 New Hampshire Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 2001 New England Coach of the Year
  • 8x New Hampshire Coach of the Year
  • Girls' Soccer
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Hank Tenney

    Rivendell Academy

    Orford,
    New Hampshire

    Impact Statement

    “I knew right then that I loved coaching.” -Hank Tenney after coaching a recreation basketball team while in high school

    Biography

    Tenney, 67, retired from a 30-year coaching career after leading the Raptors to a 17-1 record and their first-ever Vermont Division IV state championship last fall, the sixth soccer title of his career.

    That achievement earned him NSCAA Division II National Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career. Tenney previously won the award in 2001 at Hanover (N.H.) High, where he coached for 27 seasons. His career record as a soccer coach was 432-79-17, including a 36-12-1 mark in three seasons at Rivendell.

    He led Hanover to the state tournament in each of his 27 seasons, never had a losing season and reached the 250-victory plateau faster than any coach in New Hampshire history. His teams advanced to eight state title games and won five state titles. Tenney was named the state’s Coach of the Year eight times, the New England Coach of the Year in 2001 and was inducted into the New Hampshire Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1998.

    The National Federation of State High School Associations named him its National Girls Soccer Coach of the Year in 2006. Tenney also was a successful girls basketball coach, leading Sunapee (N.H.) High to back-to-back Class S state titles in 2006 and 2007, and led Hanover’s softball team to a state title in his only season as coach in 1983. He will remain the Director of Parks and Recreation for the town of Hanover, a position he has held for 33 years.


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  • Career record 432-79-17
  • Coached 6 State Championship teams
  • Professional Achievements

  • 1998 New Hampshire Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 2001 New England Coach of the Year
  • 8x New Hampshire Coach of the Year
  • North Central High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    Little has led North Central to success both on and off the field over the course of his career.

    Little has led North Central to success both on and off the field over the course of his career.

  • Coached 7 State Championship teams and 5 Runner Ups
  • 2007 NFHS National Coach of the Year
  • 2006 ISCA Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 4x ISCA Coach of the Year
  • Boys' Soccer
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Jerry Little

    North Central High School

    Indianapolis,
    Indiana

    Impact Statement

    Little has led North Central to success both on and off the field over the course of his career.

    Biography

    Little’s teams have won more state championships – five – since the Indiana High School Athletic Association first sanctioned the boys state tournament in 1994 than any other school. Little guided the Panthers to state-sanctioned titles in 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002 and 2005 (seven overall), along with seven state championship games and eight trips to the state’s Final Four in the state-sanctioned era.

    He came to North Central in 1984 after three seasons at cross-town Broad Ripple High School, and his record on the Panthers’ sideline is 453-86-48, including a 12-2-1 mark last fall. His 1993 and 1994 teams, both of which finished 25-0, earned No. 7 final rankings from USA Today, and six of his teams were nationally ranked. His teams have won 17 conference titles, and sectional, regional and semi-state crowns 10 times.

    Little has won over two dozen Coach of the Year awards, including six state Coach of the Year awards from the Indiana State Coaches Association (ISCA). The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) named him its Division I Regional Coach of the Year in 1994, 1995 and 2002 and presented him with its National Merit Award in 2001. Little was inducted into the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame in 2003 and the ISCA Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2007, the National Federation of State High School Associations named him its National Coach of the Year.

    Little continues to lead North Central. In 2017, the team made another Final Four appearance.


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  • Coached 7 State Championship teams and 5 Runner Ups
  • Professional Achievements

  • 2007 NFHS National Coach of the Year
  • 2006 ISCA Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 4x ISCA Coach of the Year
  • St. Thomas Aquinas High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    Best has coached the Girls’ and Boys’ teams at St. Thomas Aquinas to many state titles over the course of his career so far.

    Best has coached the Girls’ and Boys’ teams at St. Thomas Aquinas to many state titles over the course of his career so far.

  • Girls' teams won 10 State Championships
  • Boys' teams have won 6 State Championships
  • Girls' Golf
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Ryan Best

    St. Thomas Aquinas High School

    Overland Park,
    Kansas

    Impact Statement

    Best has coached the Girls’ and Boys’ teams at St. Thomas Aquinas to many state titles over the course of his career so far.

    Biography

    Best holds an interesting dual role at St. Thomas Aquinas. He is the chairman of the Theology Department…and has been the coach of the boys golf team since 1997 and the girls golf team since 1999. He has held numerous campus ministry positions, including director of the KAIROS Retreat Program, and has coached basketball and volleyball at the school in addition to golf.

    Last fall, Best guided the Raiders girls golf team to a state-record fifth consecutive team title, shooting a state-record score of 303 to win the 5A title by 66 strokes. It was Best’s sixth girls state championship, his first coming in 2002. He also has had one of his girls golfers win medalist honors seven times, including each of the past five seasons.

    The Kansas Coaches Association named Best Girls Coach of the Year in 2003. Best’s boys teams have qualified for state every year of his tenure, and broke through to win back-to-back 5A titles in 2007 and 2008, to go with five state runner-up finishes, two third-place finishes, two fourth-place finishes and a sixth-place finish. He has coached four boys to state medalist honors, and nearly 20 of his golfers have gone on to earn college scholarships. Best was guest speaker at the National High School Golf Association annual conference in 2007 and also created and directed “Golf for the Soul,” a summer golf retreat program for players of all ages.

    Best played basketball and golf at Benedictine University in Atchison, Kansas. and earned a master’s degree from the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas.

    In the years since being honored, Best continues to lead the Girls’ and Boys’ Golf teams at St. Thomas Aquinas. His Girl’s team has won an additional four state championships including the last three years. The Boys’ won another handful of state titles from 2016-2018. In 2019, the boys were the state runner ups. The 2020 State Championships were canceled.


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  • Girls' teams won 10 State Championships
  • Boys' teams have won 6 State Championships
  • Hunterdon Central High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    “”I hope I instilled some discipline in them. To be a good golfer, you need some discipline.” -Larry Ries

    “”I hope I instilled some discipline in them. To be a good golfer, you need some discipline.” -Larry Ries

  • Career Record of 529-116-1 for Boys' Golf
  • Coached 6 Boys' Golf State Championship teams
  • 2010 NJISAA Boys' Golf Coach of the Year
  • 2010 NFHS Boys' Golf Coach of the Year
  • Boys' Golf
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Larry Ries

    Hunterdon Central High School

    Voorhees,
    New Jersey

    Impact Statement

    “”I hope I instilled some discipline in them. To be a good golfer, you need some discipline.” -Larry Ries

    Biography

    Ries has coached four sports at Hunterdon Central over more than 30 seasons. He has more than 800 victories as a varsity head coach in golf and boys soccer, and also had successful runs coaching the Red Devils’ freshman basketball and baseball teams.

    Ries is currently in his 30th season as golf coach, for which he also was named National Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations this year. Last spring, Ries guided the Hunterdon Central golfers to Team of the Year honors from The Newark Star-Ledger.

    The Red Devils posted a 16-1 record in 2010, winning Hunterdon County and Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament championships and Skyland Conference, Group 4 Central-South Jersey Section, state and Tournament of Champions titles, the latter the second of Ries’ career.

    Through last spring, his teams had a record of 467-105-1 and won 19 conference titles, 10 sectional titles, four Group 4 state titles and the 1992 Tournament of Champions title. Ries was named Coach of the Year by The Star-Ledger in 2008 and the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association in 2010. He also started the girls golf team at Hunterdon Central.

    As the school’s soccer coach for 29 seasons, retiring in 2007, Ries’ teams had a record of 332-177-63, with 26 winning seasons and four Central Jersey Group 4 sectional final berths.

    Ries continued to coach until his retirement after the spring season of 2015, after his team won their fourth consecutive Delaware Division tournament title. He has a record over record of 529-116-1. Ries is the winning golf coach in New Jersey history.


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  • Career Record of 529-116-1 for Boys' Golf
  • Coached 6 Boys' Golf State Championship teams
  • Professional Achievements

  • 2010 NJISAA Boys' Golf Coach of the Year
  • 2010 NFHS Boys' Golf Coach of the Year
  • University High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    Tracy is the most decorated girls cross country coach in California history, who never lost his love for the sport.

    Tracy is the most decorated girls cross country coach in California history, who never lost his love for the sport.

  • Coached teams to multiple state championships
  • 2004 California Coaches Association Cross Country Girls' Coach of the Year
  • Girls' Cross Country
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Jim Tracy

    University High School

    San Francisco,
    California

    Impact Statement

    Tracy is the most decorated girls cross country coach in California history, who never lost his love for the sport.

    Biography

    In 1995, Tracy, 60, gave up a secure corporate career, steady income and conventional lifestyle for a part-time position coaching University’s high school runners. Seventeen seasons later, Tracy is the most decorated girls cross country coach in California history.

    When his girls dug down deep to repeat as Division V state champions last fall, it was a record eighth state championship for Tracy, awarded Coach of the Year honors by the California Coaches Association in 2004. The Red Devils previously won titles in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2009, while finishing second in 1995, 1999 and 2000.

    His boys teams finished second in state in 2001 and 2007 and third on five other occasions. His Red Devils have combined for 25 Bay Counties League titles and 20 North Coast Section titles, 10 each for the girls and for the boys.

    Tracy’s eighth state title came five months after he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. And at the state meet, one of his runners, junior captain Holland Reynolds, collapsed yards short of the finish line due to dehydration, then crawled across the line, allowing her finish to count toward the Red Devils’ winning total. That title run was profiled on ESPN’s Outside the Lines series in April, and the National Federation of State High School Associations presented Tracy and his team with the Region 7 Spirit of Sport award this year.

    Tracy lost his battle with ALS in April of 2014 leaving quite the legacy.


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  • Coached teams to multiple state championships
  • Professional Achievements

  • 2004 California Coaches Association Cross Country Girls' Coach of the Year
  • Albuquerque Academy

    2011 Coach of the Year

    “Get as many people as you can out for your sport. Make them feel valued. Treat them with respect. Work them hard and you’ll have great success.” -Adam Kedge

    “Get as many people as you can out for your sport. Make them feel valued. Treat them with respect. Work them hard and you’ll have great success.” -Adam Kedge

  • Coached teams to multiple state championships in Cross Country and Track & Field
  • 2018 NHSACA Coach of the Year
  • Boys' Cross Country
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Adam Kedge

    Albuquerque Academy

    Albuquerque ,
    New Mexico

    Impact Statement

    “Get as many people as you can out for your sport. Make them feel valued. Treat them with respect. Work them hard and you’ll have great success.” -Adam Kedge

    Biography

    Kedge has coached the boys cross country and track and field teams at Albuquerque Academy for the past 19 seasons, and has been the head coach of both sports since 1998. His teams have won 11 4A state championships in cross country.

    The Chargers won titles his first five seasons, 1998-2002, and also own a pair of three-year streaks, in 2004-2006 and the past three seasons, 2008-2010. He has led the boys track and field team to nine state crowns – in 1999 and eight of the past 10 years, most recently in 2009 and 2010. Ten of his athletes hold 4A state track and field records, one an all-state record. Under Kedge, the Chargers have been ranked No. 1 nationally twice by The Harrier High School Cross Country Report.

    The Chargers own 14 district titles, 13 City of Albuquerque championships, 84 meet victories and four undefeated seasons in the past 11 years. Kedge has coached seven cross-country runners to state medalist honors, with two becoming Foot Locker National All-Americans and one a USA Junior World Team member.

    Kedge was named Regional Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations in 2001 and 2003. A 10-time state Coach of the Year in cross country and track and field, the Albuquerque Sports Hall of Fame honored Kedge as its Coach of the Year in 2006. He is the former president of the New Mexico Track and Cross Country Coaches Association.

    Kedge is still leading the way for Albuquerque. His boys’ teams won two additional cross country titles in 2015 and 2016. The girls’ cross country teams won state titles in 2015, 2016, and 2017. His girls’ track and field teams have won the last two state championships and the boys’ have won the past five years excluding 2020 which was canceled.


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  • Coached teams to multiple state championships in Cross Country and Track & Field
  • Professional Achievements

  • 2018 NHSACA Coach of the Year
  • Mater Dei High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    Kiernan has coached teams to 10 CIF State Championship and owns over 800 career victories.

    Kiernan has coached teams to 10 CIF State Championship and owns over 800 career victories.

  • Has coached 10 teams to CIF State Championships
  • Career Record of 759-161
  • 2016 CIF Champions for Character Award honoree
  • Girls' Basketball
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Kevin Kiernan

    Mater Dei High School

    Santa Ana,
    California

    Impact Statement

    Kiernan has coached teams to 10 CIF State Championship and owns over 800 career victories.

    Biography

    Believe it or not, Kiernan’s first job after graduating from college was as a sportswriter – at the Orange County Register and the Anaheim Bulletin. Not fond of the late nights, Kiernan landed the head coaching position at Westminster La Quinta High School, which had won just eight of 82 games in the three seasons prior to his arrival. Over the next five seasons, La Quinta went 110-79 and made a state tournament appearance under Kiernan, who has gone on to put together 20 glittering seasons.

    From La Quinta, Kiernan moved on to Fullerton Troy High School. In 11 seasons, his teams went 317-33, never lost a Freeway League game (going 110-0 in those games), and won five Southern Section titles and three state championships. The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) named him the Russell Athletic/WBCA National High School Coach of the Year in 2006. In four years at Mater Dei, Kiernan’s teams are 123-7, and he owns a 613-109 career record (a .849 winning percentage).

    This year, his Monarchs finished 34-1, ended the season on a 26-game winning streak and won their second consecutive state championship – in Division 1AA this year after moving up from Division II a year ago – giving him five state titles overall. This year’s title made Mater Dei the first girls basketball team in five years to finish No. 1 in the USA Today Super 25 in consecutive seasons, and the newspaper named Kiernan its National Coach of the Year in 2010. The Register named him its Coach of the Year this season.

    Since being honored, Kiernan has continued to lead Mater Dei to success. He just completed his 13th year and led the Monarch’s to another CIF State Championship in February of 2020. In January, he won his 800th game with a victory over Bishop Gorman.


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  • Has coached 10 teams to CIF State Championships
  • Career Record of 759-161
  • Professional Achievements

  • 2016 CIF Champions for Character Award honoree
  • St. Joseph High school

    2011 Coach of the Year

    Montelli led St. Joseph to 878 wins and 11 State Championships over his 50 year career. He is the most winning coach in New England’s basketball history.

    Montelli led St. Joseph to 878 wins and 11 State Championships over his 50 year career. He is the most winning coach in New England’s basketball history.

  • Career record of 878-328
  • Coached 11 State Championships teams
  • 1992 NHSACA Coach of the Year
  • 1995 Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 2002 NYAC's Frank Maguire Foundation Award honoree
  • 2003 New England Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 2009 Bristol Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 2013 Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Boys' Basketball
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Vito Montelli

    St. Joseph High school

    Trumbull,
    Connecticut

    Impact Statement

    Montelli led St. Joseph to 878 wins and 11 State Championships over his 50 year career. He is the most winning coach in New England’s basketball history.

    Biography

    The state’s all-time leading winner with a record of 853-329 (a .722 winning percentage), Montelli, 78, the only basketball coach St. Joseph has ever had, completed his 49th season with a record 10th state title. With a 79-53 victory over Fairfield College Preparatory School in the Class LL title game, Montelli’s Cadets (23-3) became the only Connecticut team to win state titles in all four classifications.

    He previously coached St. Joseph to five titles in Class L and two each in Class M and Class S. St. Joseph previously won titles in 1975, 1977, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 2001, and have advanced to 16 state title games. That included 10 appearances in a 13-year span from 1985-1997.

    In 1992, Montelli was named National Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association, and in 1995, he was inducted into the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. In 1998, he received the Gold Key Award when he was inducted into the Connecticut Hall of Fame by the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance.

    In 2002, Montelli received the Frank Maguire Foundation Award from the New York Athletic Club. He was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. He has had 25 players receive McDonald’s All-American recognition, and he coached the East squad in the McDonald’s All-American Game in 1990. He was featured in the Faces in the Crowd section of Sports Illustrated magazine in April.

    Montelli coached for an addition year after being honored, retiring after his 50th season and 11th State Championship in 2012. He boasts 878 career victories, the most in all of New England’s history. In 2013, Montelli was presented with the Morgan Wooten Lifetime Achievement Award.


    Photos

    Records

  • Career record of 878-328
  • Coached 11 State Championships teams
  • Professional Achievements

  • 1992 NHSACA Coach of the Year
  • 1995 Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 2002 NYAC's Frank Maguire Foundation Award honoree
  • 2003 New England Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 2009 Bristol Hall of Fame Inductee
  • 2013 Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Collins Hill High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    “Even when he (Cliff), retired he said I’ll always be green, I’ll always be an Eagle.”
    -Kathy Ramos, Cliff Ramos’ wife

    “Even when he (Cliff), retired he said I’ll always be green, I’ll always be an Eagle.”
    -Kathy Ramos, Cliff Ramos’ wife

  • Coached team to 5 individual team state championships and 4 dual state championships
  • National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Georgia Chapter Inductee
  • 2002 NWCA's Georgia Coach of the Year
  • Wrestling
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Cliff Ramos

    Collins Hill High School

    Suwanee,
    Georgia

    Impact Statement

    “Even when he (Cliff), retired he said I’ll always be green, I’ll always be an Eagle.”
    -Kathy Ramos, Cliff Ramos’ wife

    Biography

    Ramos, 57, retired last season after a hugely successful run at the helm of the Collins Hill program, the fourth school he coached in a 34-year coaching career, 29 in Georgia. His overall dual-meet record was 626-80.

    Ramos guided Collins Hill to nine state team titles in Georgia’s biggest class, 5A – five individual state tournament titles and four dual state titles – and his Eagles teams finished in the top three for 11 consecutive seasons. A co-founder and past president of the Georgia Wrestling Coaches Association, he is a 22-time Region Coach of the Year and was selected the state’s Coach of the Year five times – in 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

    His teams were nationally ranked five times in a six-year span. His best team, in 2010, not only reached the top 10, but beat two nationally-ranked teams, including host Easton High, and came within three points of shocking 31-time National Prep champions Blairstown Township (N.J.) Blair Academy in the NHSCA Final Four of High School Wrestling.

    Ramos, who coached 34 individual state champions, was selected Coach of the Year, Georgia Chapter, by the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 2002 and is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Georgia Chapter.

    Since retiring from Collins Hill, Ramos is began to work as the Director of Wrestling at Greater Atlanta Christian School, located in Norcross, a position he still holds.

    In 2018, Collins Hill named their wrestling facility in his honor.


    Photos

    Records

  • Coached team to 5 individual team state championships and 4 dual state championships
  • Professional Achievements

  • National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Georgia Chapter Inductee
  • 2002 NWCA's Georgia Coach of the Year
  • Tabb High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    “She was an excellent coach & really understands that having successful programs is more than just knowing the strategy and skills of the sport.” -Angela Seiders, Tabb Principal

    “She was an excellent coach & really understands that having successful programs is more than just knowing the strategy and skills of the sport.” -Angela Seiders, Tabb Principal

  • Career record of 291-28
  • Coached teams to 7 State Championships and 2 Runner-up finishes
  • 8x State Coach of the Year
  • 12x Bay Rivers District Field Hockey Coach of the Year
  • 4x National Coach of the Year
  • Peninsula Sports Club Sportsperson of the Year
  • CNU Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Field Hockey
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Wendy Wilson

    Tabb High School

    Yorktown,
    Virginia

    Impact Statement

    “She was an excellent coach & really understands that having successful programs is more than just knowing the strategy and skills of the sport.” -Angela Seiders, Tabb Principal

    Biography

    One of the most respected offensive minds in the sport’s coaching ranks, Wilson has turned Tabb into a small-school Virginia powerhouse since her arrival in 2004.

    In 2009, the Tigers became just the sixth team in the nation to score more than 150 goals in a season, while posting its second consecutive 24-0 season. That team, which included the first group of seventh-graders she recruited in building Tabb’s program, graduated with back-to-back state championships and the nation’s longest winning streak. Wilson’s 2008 team allowed just six goals all season, earning her Bay Rivers District, region and state Coach of the Year awards, along with South Region Coach of the Year honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA).

    The Tigers’ 2009 title earned Wilson the NFHCA’s National Coach of the Year award. Last fall, rebuilding a team that graduated its goalkeeper and its entire defense, Wilson led the Tigers to a 22-3 record, and her team didn’t allow a goal in the state tournament for the third straight year.

    A standout field hockey and lacrosse player at Christopher Newport University (CNU), Wilson once scored nine goals in a game and holds the school single-game, season and career records in goals and points. She also scored 73 goals in two lacrosse seasons, and is an assistant lacrosse coach at CNU. She was inducted into the CNU Hall of Fame after graduation.

    Since being honored in 2011, Wilson continues to lead the Tigers until 2018 when she took a position as the Athletic Director at Tabb.


    Photos

    Records

  • Career record of 291-28
  • Coached teams to 7 State Championships and 2 Runner-up finishes
  • Professional Achievements

  • 8x State Coach of the Year
  • 12x Bay Rivers District Field Hockey Coach of the Year
  • 4x National Coach of the Year
  • Peninsula Sports Club Sportsperson of the Year
  • Personal Honors

  • CNU Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Mater Dei High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    “Six titles isn’t important. None of that stuff is. To me, it’s the kids that are important.” -Fred Rakers

    “Six titles isn’t important. None of that stuff is. To me, it’s the kids that are important.” -Fred Rakers

  • Career record of 1,046-200-7
  • Coached teams to 6 State Championships and 20 State Place finishes
  • Girls Volleyball
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Fred Rakers

    Mater Dei High School

    Breese,
    Illinois

    Impact Statement

    “Six titles isn’t important. None of that stuff is. To me, it’s the kids that are important.” -Fred Rakers

    Biography

    The only volleyball coach Mater Dei has ever had, Rakers, 65, brought a sterling 35-year coaching career to an end last fall.

    His Knights compiled a 41-1 record, and sent him out a winner. Ranked No. 26 nationally by PrepVolleyball.com, Mater Dei’s 15-25, 25-18, 26-24 victory over Joliet Catholic Academy in the 3A state final gave Rakers his sixth state title.

    With a career record of 1,046-200-7, Rakers stands No. 2 on the all-time victory list among Illinois coaches. The only coach with more victories, Peg Kopec of Wheaton St. Francis High School, was the NHSCA’s National Coach of the Year in 2008.

    In addition to his six state titles – the Knights previously won championships in 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 2001 – Rakers’ teams have won 14 state trophies, having finished second once, third four times and fourth three times in 20 state tournament appearances.

    He also won four district titles, 24 regional championships, 21 sectional titles and 20 super-sectional championships. Rakers will continue to teach consumer education and career guidance at Mater Dei. His son, Chad, an assistant coach the past four seasons, will succeed him as head coach.

    Rakers passed away November 6, 2013 after a fight with cancer.


    Photos

    Records

  • Career record of 1,046-200-7
  • Coached teams to 6 State Championships and 20 State Place finishes
  • James F. Brynes High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    Holcombe has coached Brynes to three consecutive state championships during her career.

    Holcombe has coached Brynes to three consecutive state championships during her career.

  • Coached 3 teams to State Championships
  • 2005 SCACA Coach of the Year
  • Softball
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Debbie Holcombe

    James F. Brynes High School

    Duncan,
    South Carolina

    Impact Statement

    Holcombe has coached Brynes to three consecutive state championships during her career.

    Biography

    An ankle injury as a volleyball player at Southern Wesleyan College added a fifth year to Holcombe’s college career and a second major, physical education, to her business administration major. She’s winning games – and awards – 23 years later.

    As a rookie volleyball coach at Anderson T.L. Hanna High School in 1989, her team finished 18-4 and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs, earning Holcombe Region 1-4A Coach of the Year honors. She began the first of two stints at Byrnes in 1991 as softball and volleyball coach.

    Her first volleyball team finished 26-6, won Region 2-3A regular season and tournament titles and earned Holcombe a second Region Coach of the Year award, while her softball team finished 22-4. She then spent eight years in college coaching – six at Southern Wesleyan, where her volleyball teams finished 79-31 and her softball teams 109-33-1, advancing to the NAIA national tournament in 1996, and two at Presbyterian College. There, she coached the volleyball team to a 54-20 record and started the softball program, which went 31-16 in its inaugural season.

    After returning to Byrnes as softball coach in 2001, Holcombe was named Coach of the Year by the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association and National Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations in 2005, when she led the Lady Rebels to the 4A state title and the first of three consecutive Upper State crowns. They also won a district title in 2004 and were district runners-up in 2003, 2009 and 2010.

    Holcombe also was the South Carolina High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year in 2008 and a finalist for the National High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year in 2009 after being named Southern District High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year.

    Holcombe continues to coach at Byrnes at this time.


    Photos

    Records

  • Coached 3 teams to State Championships
  • Professional Achievements

  • 2005 SCACA Coach of the Year
  • Catholic Central High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    O’Connell was the first high school coach ever elected president of the college-dominated American Baseball Coaches Association.

    O’Connell was the first high school coach ever elected president of the college-dominated American Baseball Coaches Association.

  • Coached 4 State Championship teams
  • Old Time Baseball Players Hall of Fame Inductee
  • WBCA Hall of Fame Inductee
  • ABCA Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Baseball
    2011 Coach of the Year

    Tom O’Connell

    Catholic Central High School

    Burlington,
    Wisconsin

    Impact Statement

    O’Connell was the first high school coach ever elected president of the college-dominated American Baseball Coaches Association.

    Biography

    The first high school coach ever elected president of the college-dominated American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), O’Connell has spent 42 years coaching baseball.

    From 1969 through 2000, he coached at Milwaukee Pulaski High School, where his teams won more games than any sport in the school’s history. He led Pulaski to state tournament berths in 1981, when they reached the state semifinals, and in 1989. He has been at Burlington Catholic Central for 11 seasons, and his Hilltopper teams have made the state quarterfinals eight consecutive years. They went on to win four state championships, in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2010.

    O’Connell has twice been named the Diamond Sports National High School Coach of the Year by the ABCA, most recently in 2010, and has been named Midwest Coach of the Year four times. In 1995, he skippered the USA Baseball North Team in the United States Olympic Festival in Colorado, a team that featured four future major leaguers. O’Connell chaired the ABCA’s High School Division from 1984-96, and now serves on its Board of Directors and heads its Ethics in Coaching Award Committee.

    A former president of the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association, O’Connell organized and ran the group’s annual clinic and convention for 20 years and, in 1991, was named its Man of the Year. He has been inducted into three Halls of Fame: the Old Time Baseball Players Hall of Fame in Milwaukee, the WBCA Hall of Fame in 1987 and the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2007, becoming only the 16th high school coach to be inducted in the ABCA’s 64-year history.

    O’Connell continued to coach until 2015 when he left Catholic


    Photos

    Records

  • Coached 4 State Championship teams
  • Professional Achievements

  • Old Time Baseball Players Hall of Fame Inductee
  • WBCA Hall of Fame Inductee
  • ABCA Hall of Fame Inductee
  • St. Thomas Aquinas High School

    2011 Coach of the Year

    “Coach Smith is obviously a legend and an extraordinary personality, but what makes him so special is his selfless demeanor.” -Roger Harriott, University School Head Coach

    “Coach Smith is obviously a legend and an extraordinary personality, but what makes him so special is his selfless demeanor.” -Roger Harriott, University School Head Coach

  • Career record of 361-66
  • Coached teams to 6 Florida State Championships
  • Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Florida Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Broward County Sports Bureau Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Football
    2011 Coach of the Year

    George Smith

    St. Thomas Aquinas High School

    Fort Lauderdale,
    Florida

    Impact Statement

    “Coach Smith is obviously a legend and an extraordinary personality, but what makes him so special is his selfless demeanor.” -Roger Harriott, University School Head Coach

    Biography

    After taking the reins as head football coach in 1975, Smith could be found hammering nails and pouring concrete into what would become the visiting bleachers at the school’s football stadium.

    Smith, 62, then built a program that became renowned at the state and national levels. He retired this spring after 34 seasons at the helm of the Raiders, building a 361-66 record in two separate stints and leading St. Thomas to 13 state championship games and six state titles – four in Class 5A and two in 4A.

    Smith stepped down after St. Thomas won its first state title in 1992. He returned for the 1995 season and led the Raiders to the state playoffs in all 16 seasons of his second stint, adding state titles in 1997, 1999, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Overall, his teams earned 26 playoff berths and posted a 64-20 playoff record (only Charles “Corky” Rogers of Jacksonville Bolles School, the NHSCA’s National Coach of the Year in 2005, with 66 playoff wins, has more).

    His 2008 team finished the season ranked No. 1 by the NHSCA and by USA Today, which named Smith its National High School Coach of the Year that year. His final team in 2010, which finished 15-0, also earned national title honors and the NHSCA’s No. 3 ranking.

    Smith, who came to St. Thomas in 1972 as wrestling coach, has been elected to the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame, the Florida Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame and the Broward County Sports Bureau Hall of Fame. He will remain the school’s athletic director.


    Photos

    Records

  • Career record of 361-66
  • Coached teams to 6 Florida State Championships
  • Professional Achievements

  • Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Florida Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Broward County Sports Bureau Hall of Fame Inductee