Twenty-three high school coaches from across the country have been selected as 2020-21 National Coaches of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association.
Since 1982, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has recognized coaches through an awards program. The 23 coaches were selected as top 10 in girls sports, top 10 in boys sports and three more in other sports.
The NFHS receives nominations from its member state associations, which often works with the state coaches’ association in its respective state. The state association then contacts the potential state award recipients to complete a coach profile form that requests information regarding the coach’s record, membership in and affiliation with coaching and other professional organizations, involvement with other school and community activities and programs, and coaching philosophy. To be approved as an award recipient and considered for sectional and national coach of the year consideration, this profile form must be completed by the coach or designee and then approved by the executive director (or designee) of the state athletic/activities association.
The following is a list of all the award winners with bios
from the NFHS:
BOYS SPORTSJohn Adair | Baseball | Malakoff (Texas)Adair retired following the 2021 season, closing the book on a 32-year high school baseball coaching career that comprised more than 600 victories at four different schools, and 20 coach-of-the-year awards from the county, district, regional and state levels. In his final season, Adair's Malakoff High School squad achieved a storybook ending for their longtime coach, claiming the University Interscholastic League 3A state championship on the strength of a 38-7 record.
Insinger is the all-time winningest high school boys basketball coach in Pennsylvania history, having amassed 984 career victories – and counting – over 47 seasons at Loyalsock Township. While Insinger's legendary run at Loyalsock includes 38 20-win seasons, 30 league titles, 24 district titles, and 30 coach-of-the-year honors from various outlets, his first state championship did not come until this past season when his Loyalsock Lancers capped a 27-1 campaign with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association 3A state title.
Jeffrey Howard | Cross country | Woodridge (Peninsula, Ohio)
In 28 seasons at Woodbridge, he has led the Bulldogs to 12 Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division II state championships (10 boys, 2 girls), claimed 34 conference championships (17/17) and mentored 51 All-Ohioans (37/14) and 230 state meet qualifiers (116/114). His 10 OHSAA boys state titles, which include stretches of five in a row from 2006 to 2010 and three in a row from 2018 to 2020, are the most for any boys program in state history.
In his 26th season, Zimmerman guided DeWitt to a 12-0 season and a Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 state championship – his first title in five championship game appearances. He has turned DeWitt football into one of the most prominent programs in the state with 19 conference championships in his 23 seasons at DHS – including the past 16 in a row – 14 district championships and 12 regional championships.
Lester's 34th season was a display of pure dominance, as her squad won all 15 of its competitive meets (12 regular season, three tournaments), including the program's first-ever Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 3A state championship.
Colvin has been a high school soccer coach for 26 years, including the past 22 years as a head coach. He has been awarded numerous coach-of-the-year awards at various distinctions including three national awards, two regional awards and 16 state-level awards. In addition to leading his team to seven state championships, he has amassed a record of 400 wins and just 58 losses, including a 22-1 record this past season.
Christopher Verity | Swimming and diving | Maine-Endwell (Endwell, N.Y.)Verity, a coach since 1993, led the Johnson City boys program until 2009 while also coaching the girls team from 2006 until 2010. At Maine-Endwell, Verity began as an assistant in 2010 and has led the boys program since 2015. Verity has led his
teams to five state championships.
O'Brien has been a coach since 1978 and while Barstow, his teams have accumulated more than 325 wins, which includes several state tournament appearances and championships. In 2013, he was named both the Coach of the Year for Missouri and the NFHS Sectional Coach of the Year (Midwest Section).
Topp has been coach more than 40 seasons. He was the recipient of the Ohio Association of Track and Cross County Coaches 2021 Coach of the Year Award, and he received a similar honor in 2012 when he was selected as the 2012 Fred Dafler State Coach of the Year for Ohio.
Simons, a wrestling coach for 25 years, has made a push to increase participation numbers, and he now has about 80 wrestlers – 45 boys and 35 girls – attending practice each day. Since 2018, the Thurston boys team has finished among the top four teams at the state championships, and the girls program has an active streak of four consecutive state championships.
GIRLS SPORTS
Jesse Nelson | Basketball | Olpe (Kan.)Nelson ended his outstanding 44-year career in grand style, leading the Olpe to a 25-0 record and the Kansas State High School Activities Association Class IA Girls Basketball Championship. Nelson retired in May 2021 as the all-time winningest basketball coach – girls or boys – in Kansas state history with 951 wins and 111 losses – an amazing winning mark of 89.5 percent.
In addition to coaching girls cross country at Lawrence County, Johnson also coaches boys and junior high teams. He has led his teams to eight Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) boys state cross country championships and seven AHSAA girls state titles.
Leonard Kull | Golf | Washington (Iowa)Kull has been a teacher, coach and official in Iowa for more than 50 years. In addition to coaching football and wrestling, Kull coaches girls golf and has led his teams to six Iowa girls golf state championships.
Dwyer has coached the girls lacrosse team at Loyola Academy to 12 state championships in his 21 years at the school, including nine consecutive titles at one stretch. His team won the 2021 state title with a 25-0 record, a team that included his oldest granddaughter. Dwyer's overall record in 21 years is 445 victories and 61 losses – a winning mark of 87 percent.
John Hanley | Soccer | Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)Hanley has coached high school girls soccer for 26 years and has compiled a 450-67 career record. Currently the girls soccer coach at Mity, Hanley has led his teams to nine CIF Central Coast Section titles, including eight at Mitty.
Archbishop Mitty girls soccer coach John (JT) Hanley after winning the 2019 Central Coast Section championship.
File photo by Dennis Putian
For more than 40 years, McQuade has led Greenway to nearly 900 wins and five state championships.
Since 2014, Kerska has led the two programs to three Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state championships, including back-to-back girls titles in 2020 and 2021. She was named MHSAA Swimming Coach of the Year for both girls and boys in 2021.
In 2021, Liles led Cascia to boys and girls tennis teams to Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) state championships, bringing her total of state titles to 11 during an 18-year coaching career.
Since 1986, Whitford has led Mead with a simple motto: "Focus on working hard, doing our best and having fun, and the winning will take care of itself." It's a motto that helped Whitford lead Mead to a 2010 Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Class 4A girls state championship, and to success in numerous other sports as well.
LaClair has garnered more than 1,200 wins since 2000 and five MHSAA state championships. Behind LaClair's leadership, Bronson won four consecutive championships from 2015 to 2018.
OTHER SPORTS
Since 2012, Drust led her team to six state finals, taking home the title in 2019-20, one of three crowns in her illustrious career.
For 51 years, Jones has walked the sidelines, amassing more than 175 victories. In January 2021, he helped bring Balmorhea its first state championship. With the win, Jones became the third coach in UIL history to win state championships at three different schools.
The illustrious 28-year coaching tenure was highlighted with a 2021 KSHSAA championship in only the second year the sport was offered. His teams have won 271 matches all-time and eight individuals have claimed state titles during his career.
