The 2024-2025 Outstanding Coach Award, named for great coaching legend Toby Webb, goes to Neil Van Dyke of East Rutherford High School. Coach Van Dyke has logged more than twenty (20) years in the coaching profession, specifically for men’s and women’s soccer at East Rutherford. In addition to his coaching role, Van Dyke served on various committees, including the Rutherford County Soccer Association and NC Soccer Coaches Association. In this capacity, he helped expand middle and high school opportunities and provided input relative to rules at the local, regional, and state levels.
His players, both current and former, think very highly of Coach Van Dyke. One of his former players says, “He has had a profound and lasting impact on my development as both an athlete and a person. I have learned the importance of teamwork, discipline, and personal growth, which has allowed me to succeed on and off the field. Van Dyke is a true mentor. [He] has created an environment where athletes feel motivated, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential.” “Van Dyke has guided us to be role models for our younger teammates, and he has taught us to be role models to all others. He has taught each of us how to be a leader. The biggest leader of us all is Neil Vandyke”, adds another player.
The Toby Webb Outstanding Coach Award is made possible through the generosity of numerous private donors and strives to recognize up to two coaches annually in memory of Toby Webb. This award seeks to recognize and honor coaches who have impacted the lives of student-athletes and students in general by encouraging them to succeed, helping to develop self-confidence, ambition, a sound work ethic, and other skills necessary for success in the students’ later lives; a demonstrated record of encouraging student-athletes to be well-rounded; and a reputation amongst their respective peers and the athletic community for fair play, good sportsmanship, and the development of these attributes in their respective student-athletes.
The Clary Medal is made possible through the generosity of the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation and annually recognizes an outstanding male and female varsity student-athlete participating in varsity competition in at least two NCHSAA-sanctioned teams. The award is based on each individual’s excellence in athletic participation, extra-curricular activities, and community service, exhibiting a desire to excel in all areas of life – athletics, education, sportsmanship, teamwork, leadership, honesty, and integrity. The Wilburn Clary Medal was first awarded in 2006 and is dedicated to Wilburn Clary. Clary’s athletic career involved coaching, officiating, and administration. He coached several sports at the Methodist Children’s Home for almost 30 years, was an outstanding high school and collegiate official, and served as the executive secretary of the Western North Carolina High School Activities Association from 1949 until 1977 when the organization merged with the NCHSAA.