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Football Freshman Max Coale Earns Prestigious National Scholar-Athlete Honor
October 13, 2010 | Football
Princeton freshman Max Coale was recently named one of five winners of the 2010 NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete
Awards. Each recipient was selected as the best of the best from their
region of the country at the high school level. The five winners, who
are now playing college football, are being recognized solely for their
previous accomplishments in high school.
"With the NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Awards, we annually strive to honor the absolute finest from the gridiron at the high school level," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "The accomplishments of this year's five nominees make us all proud, and their contributions both on and off the field set the standard for their peers to follow."
Coale will join co-winners Lonnie Hackett (Bangor High School; Bangor, Maine), Tevin Hood (Hamilton High School; Chandler, Ariz.), Daniel Wodicka (West Lafayette High School; West Lafayette, Ind.) and Ricky Zorn (Lake Highlands High Schoo; Dallas, Texas) at the NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon Tuesday, December 7, 2010, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. First bestowed in 1991, the NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Awards have become one of the most prestigious high school honors in the country. Criteria for the award include but are not limited to academic achievement, athletic accomplishments and leadership in the community.
With 120 outposts and more than 12,000 members, the NFF Chapter Network covers more than 4,800 high schools and 400,000 student-athletes in 47 states, annually analyzing the credentials of the top student-athletes from each of their regions. The chapters subsequently recognize approximately 3,300 of the best scholar-athletes at their local awards banquets, distributing more than $1 million in scholarships. From this pool of 3,300 scholar-athletes, the chapters nominate a group of finalists, and a national committee makes the final selections on the five winners, one from each region of the country, as the recipients of the NFF National High School Scholar-Athlete Awards.
During the past 19 years, 81 student-athletes have been recognized as NFF National High School Scholar-Athletes, and this year marks the 20th class, creating a new total of 86 all-time honorees. Recent notable recipients include Andrew Luck (2008, starting quarterback at Stanford), Andrew Rodriquez (2008, a starting linebacker at Army) and Bryant Browning (2006, a starting offensive tackle at Ohio State). Princeton defensive ends Tim Kirby '03 and Joseph Weiss '03 each shared the honor in 2000.
Other notable past recipients include Todd Helton, who was honored in 1992 before playing quarterback at Tennessee and currently playing first base for the Colorado Rockies. Drew Henson was honored in 1998 before playing quarterback at Michigan quarterback and his professional football and baseball career. Brandon Fisher, the son of Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher, was honored in 2005 before going on to play for the Montana Grizzlies and amassing a 3.9 GPA as a 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist.
For tickets to the Dec. 7 luncheon in New York, please contact Ron Dilatush at rdilatush@footballfoundation.com or by calling 972-556-1000. Also at the NFF Chapter Awards Luncheon, five exceptional individuals, selected for their extraordinary dedication and efforts in fulfilling the NFF's mission, will be honored as the recipients of the 2010 NFF Chapter Leadership Awards.
Max Coale
East Region
River Hill High School - Clarksville, Md.
NFF Baltimore Chapter
With a considerable set of accomplishments that run the gamut, Max Coale cut an impressive swath of success with his 6'4", 260 pound frame in the Howard County, Md., community.
A three-year starter at offensive and defensive tackle, Coale helped River Hill reach the Maryland state semifinals four times, state championship three times and capture the state title as a sophomore and junior. Coale anchored an offensive line that helped River Hill running backs to accumulate nearly 4,000 yards and 56 touchdowns in the 2009 campaign. Overall, the Hawks garnered a 40-1 record during Coale's time as a starter.
He was named team captain and Most Valuable Player as a senior and participated in the Crab Bowl All-Star Game. Coale was honored by both the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post as a First Team All-Metro performer, and Coale was named the River Hill Outstanding Athlete of the Year as the best male athlete at the school. He also excelled as a lacrosse player, earning all-county and state finalist honors.
In the classroom, Coale was Valedictorian in a class of 342 students and graduated with a perfect, unweighted 4.0 GPA. He made the Honor Roll four times, and he earned a myriad of academic honors, including National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, Merit Scholastic Award, AP Scholar with Distinction.
"Max was a three-year starter for us on the offensive line," said River Hill head coach Brian Van Deusen. "During his time here at River Hill, we won 40 consecutive games, three regional championships and two state championships. Max worked extremely hard in the weight room to improve himself, and he ended up being one of our strongest kids and in the 1,000 pound club. His teammates selected him as a team captain because of his strong work ethic and outstanding leadership qualities.
"Max's accomplishments in the classroom and community are just as impressive. He was a pleasure to coach and is a great role model for the younger players in our program. I think that Max is a perfect example of a scholar-athlete; he focused on academics first and was also able to excel in all of his extra-curricular activities. He is a very intelligent, dedicated, well-balanced individual that is an excellent candidate for this scholar-athlete award."
Coale used his standing at River Hill to benefit younger students throughout his academic career. He served as a liaison to incoming high school students, a tutor and in the Best Buddies Mentor Program.