WACO, Texas (KWTX) – For the second time in his career, Vanguard High School athletic director Will Curtis was award the Edd Burleson Leadership award, the most prestigious honor for coaches in TAPPS.
Though he put in the work, Coach Curtis was still stunned, to say the least.
“I would say I was definitely shocked to see that I was getting that,” said Curtis. “That meant I was nominated by one of my peers to get that, and to me that’s the biggest compliment, that somebody else is recognizing the hard work that’s going in it.”
Last year at Vanguard, he also served as the varsity girl’s basketball coach and the assistant head of school. On top of the many responsibilities he has, Curtis always makes sure that things are running smoothly across all sports.
Find & reserve investment properties in
Turkey or Dubai from the comfort of
your home.
“Its funny, the many hats a lot of us wear around here for sure,” said Curtis. “I don’t think everyone realizes all of the intricacies that go into each sport, it’s like a never ending stream. It’s a lot of fun but it’s very very busy.
The Burleson Award is only given to one coach each year in TAPPS out of hundreds of nominations. It’s a huge honor and a rare accomplishment for anyone to achieve. If you ask Curtis the secret to winning it, his answer is simple: show up.
“Being there for the people that you need to be there for,” said Curtis. “That could be the family, that could be students and their families, everyone that’s moving in and out of your daily lives, and that’s probably the biggest component of that is that consistency.”
This fall, Vanguard will begin offering sixth grade sports, a project that Curtis will be spear-heading, as he steps away from the AD role and into a new role of middle school coordinator
No matter his title or task, Curtis will lead any charge, as long as he’s at Vanguard. .
I’m about to start my 20th year, and Vanguard has been home to me and my family, even to my wife and my kids,” said Curtis.
“They’ve always made it feel like a home environment and I hope we as staff have also in turn helped make that a family environment here with the teams and with the programs.”
Copyright 2023 KWTX. All rights reserved.
