Long Beach High School’s Lady Bearcats Soccer Coach Andee Wilburn is among the top eight high school soccer coaches in the nation.
Wilburn has been named a finalist for the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) Coach of the Year award. Each year, the top eight coaches in 16 sporting categories along with assistant coaches and athletic directors are recognized as finalists for the NHSACA awards. Coaches are recognized not just for their current season of coaching, but for their “lifetime achievements.”
“This is an outstanding accomplishment, and we are very proud of Coach Wilburn and all he has done for the soccer programs at Long Beach High School (LBHS),” said Dr. Talia Lock, Superintendent of Long Beach School District (LBSD). “He sets the bar high for his student-athletes and they continue to rise to the challenge under his leadership. He is so deserving of this honor.”
LBSD Athletic Director Shane Rutledge is grateful to have Coach Wilburn on his staff.
“Coach Wilburn is a great example of what coaching in education-based athletics is all about. As an Athletic Director, I appreciate the time, effort, and dedication he has put into honing his team’s skills. He has a positive impact on the development of his players, both on and off the field,” Rutledge said.
Wilburn is honored to be a finalist and grateful to be recognized for the work he has put in during his career.
"It is great to be recognized and to be selected as a finalist for Coach of the Year on the National level through NHSACA,” Wilburn said. “To be in the top eight in the nation along with some great coaches is a great honor. Being recognized for the work that I have put in and my teams have put in over the last 20 years is amazing!”
“I would like to thank my family for their support throughout the years of coaching, the parents who have supported me, and our administration at LBSD. I would like to thank the many teams that I have coached and the hundreds of players that I have coached, most recently with Long Beach Girls Soccer.”
“I hope the positive impact made upon those players is as great as the positive impact those players have made upon me."
Under the direction of Coach Wilburn, the LBHS Boys’ Soccer Team played for the state championship title six times, winning the last three titles. This year, the LBHS Lady Bearcats Soccer team, in their first year under Coach Wilburn’s leadership, made it to the South State Championship game narrowly losing in PKs.
