The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has selected Myles Wilson, CAA, CIC, of Spartanburg, South Carolina, as the recipient of the 2015 NFHS Coach Educator of the Year Award. Wilson is the district athletic administrator for athletic facilities and operations of the Spartanburg (South Carolina) School District 7.
Wilson spearheaded a three-year effort to encourage his district to require its coaches to earn the Accredited Interscholastic Coach (AIC) certification through the NFHS. As a result, in August 2014, Superintendent Russell Booker announced that all Spartanburg District 7 middle school and high school coaches would have to complete their AIC certificate by December 31, 2014, and that the district would cover expenses for all coaches.
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Wilson now administers the AIC program, which is the first in South Carolina to set this requirement. Other districts in the state are now looking at duplicating Spartanburg’s program, and Wilson often speaks to other districts regarding the advantages of professional development for coaches and how to implement such a program.
Wilson is a graduate of Spartanburg High School and the University of South Carolina. He was assistant athletic director at the high school from 1992 to 2001 and its athletic director from 2001 to 2011 before moving to the district level. He was the 2012 recipient of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) State Award of Merit and presently serves on the South Carolina High School League’s Advisory Council.
AIC certification requires completion of the following NFHS online courses: Fundamentals of Coaching; First Aid, Health and Safety for Coaches; Concussion in Sports; and a sport-specific course of the user’s choosing.
The NFHS Coach Educator Award, which has been presented annually since 2009, recognizes an individual who has exhibited passion and leadership in the promotion of coach education at the local, state and/or national levels.
Previous recipients of the NFHS Coach Educator Award include Mark Dreibelbis, North Carolina, 2014; Kathy Vruggink Westdorp, Michigan, 2013: Nancy O’Neil, Massachusetts, 2012; Bruce Brown, Ohio, 2011; Bobby Guthrie, North Carolina, 2010; and Mike Maghan, Oregon; Lavonne Norman, Alaska; and Ken Yamase (posthumous), Hawaii, all for 2009.
The NFHS Coach Education Program can be accessed at .