Littleton’s Stringy Ervin named national girls swim coach of the year

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Twenty-one high school coaches from across the country have been selected as 2014 National Coaches of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association.

Included is Littleton’s Maurice “Stringy” Ervin, who was named 2014 NFHS national girls swimming and diving coach of the year.

The NFHS, which has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982, honors coaches in the top 10 girls sports and top 10 boys sports (by participation numbers), and in one “other” sport that is not included in the top 10 listings. The NFHS also recognizes a Spirit coach as a separate award category. Winners of NFHS awards must be active coaches during the year for which they receive their award. This year’s awards recognize coaches for the 2013-14 school year.

Recipients of the 2014 NFHS national awards for girls sports are:

Carmen Jackson, track and field, Miami (Florida) Northwestern Senior High School; Curt DeHaan, basketball, Lynden (Washington) Christian Schools; Laurie Glass, volleyball, Leland (Michigan) Public Schools; Brian Song, soccer, Clarksville (Maryland) River Hill High School;  John Biedenbach, softball, Trenton (Michigan) High School; Johnette Goldman, cross country, Heber Springs (Arkansas) High School; Coleen Davis, tennis, Portland (Oregon) Episcopal School;  Maurice “Stringy” Ervin, swimming and diving, Littleton (Colorado) High School; and Leslie Bender, golf, Louisville (Kentucky) Sacred Heart Academy.  There was no national coach selected for girls lacrosse.

Recipients of this year’s national awards for boys sports are:

Dale Mueller, football, Ft. Thomas  (Kentucky) Highlands High School; John Lober, track and field, Traverse City (Michigan) Central High School; Pat Rady, basketball, Cloverdale (Indiana) High School; Rick Carpenter, baseball, Prosper (Texas) High School; Lee Mitchell, soccer, Sandy (Utah) Alta High School; Russ Cozart, wrestling, Brandon (Florida) High School; Frank Trammel, cross country, Benton (Louisiana) High School; Micheal Goll, tennis, Salina (Kansas) Central High School; Roger Lauzon, golf, Lynnfield (Massachusetts) High School; and Claude Valle, swimming and diving, Weston (Massachusetts) High School.

The recipient of the National Coach of the Year Award for spirit is Tina Fortner of Minonk (Illinois) Fieldcrest High School, and Joan Ganim of Broadview Heights (Ohio) Brecksville High School was chosen in the other sports category for girls gymnastics.

In addition to the 21 National Coaches of the Year, the NFHS Coaches Association has selected James N. Feldkamp of Troy, Michigan, as the recipient of the National Coach Contributor Award. This award is presented to an individual who has gone above and beyond and who exemplifies the highest standards of sportsmanship, ethical conduct and moral character, and who carries the endorsement of his or her respective state high school association.

The NFHS has a contact person in each state who is responsible for selecting deserving coach award recipients. This contact person often works with the state coaches’ association in his or her respective state. He or she 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 next award level after state coach of the year is sectional coach of the year. The NFHS is divided into eight geographical sections. They are as follows: Section 1 – Northeast (CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT); Section 2 – Mideast (DE, DC, KY, MD, OH, PA, VA, WV); Section 3 – South (AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN); Section 4 – Central (IL, IN, IA, MI, WI); Section 5 – Midwest (KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD); Section 6 – Southwest (AR, CO, NM, OK, TX); Section 7 – West (AZ, CA, HI, NV, UT); and Section 8 – Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY).

The NFHS Coaches Association has an advisory committee, composed of a chair and eight sectional representatives.  The sectional committee representatives evaluate the state award recipients from the states in their respective sections and select the best candidates for the sectional award in each sport category. The NFHS Coaches Association Advisory Committee then considers the sectional candidates in each sport, ranks them according to a point system, and determines a national winner for each of the 20 sport categories, the spirit category and one “other” category.

A total of 533 coaches will be recognized this year with state, sectional and national awards.