The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) honored four leaders for their contributions to the sport of soccer at the intercollegiate, interscholastic and youth levels and in the realm of coaching education at its annual Awards Banquet, held at the Hilton Baltimore Friday evening, Jan. 14, 2011, in conjunction with the 2011 NSCAA Convention.

Cliff Stevenson of Brown University, Steve Malone of Andover High School in suburban Baltimore, Gary Allen of Virginia Youth Soccer and Nancy Feldman of Boston University each were recognized for their unique contributions in their particular area.

Bill Jeffrey Collegiate Long-Term Service Award
Cliff Stevenson, Brown University
An NSCAA member since 1952, Stevenson’s contributions to the sport are vast and far-reaching. The coach at Oberlin College and Brown University, he compiled a 299-176-12 record in 38 seasons, winning 15 conference titles. His Brown team reached the NCAA finals four times. He founded the Ohio Soccer Association and served on an array of committees for the NSCAA and NCAA. A pioneer for soccer in New England, he organized the first women’s college soccer team in the United States in 1972. In 1962 he began efforts to introduce soccer into Rhode Island high schools, which resulted in the sport being offered at every high school in the state by the time he retired from Brown in 1990. He also launched the first overnight soccer camp in the nation. Among his innovations are the introduction of black panels to the ball for better visibility on video, and the use of multiple balls and ball holders to speed up collegiate play.

Robert W. Robinson High School Long-Term Service Award
Steve Malone, Andover High School (Md.)
A member of the NSCAA since 1971, Malone served as the NSCAA's 59th President. He served on the NSCAA Boys All-America committee and was a member of the original NSCAA High School Rankings Committee. He created and managed the NSCAA’s High School Scholar All-America and Team Academic Award award programs. He coached at both Andover High School in Linthicum and North County High School in Glen Burnie, Md., leading Andover to the 1989 state title. He retired from coaching in 1993 and from teaching in 1999 after more than 32 years as an educator, athletics director and coach. A founding member of the Maryland Association of Coaches of Soccer (MACS), he twice served as its president and is one of only two two-time recipients of the MACS Service Award. Malone also served on the National Federation of High Schools Rules Committee for 12 years, including four as National Chair, and was the Maryland high school soccer rules interpreter for 20 years.

Charlotte Moran Youth Long-Term Service Award
Gary Allen, Virginia Youth Soccer Association
Allen’s contributions to youth soccer in Virginia and beyond have been numerous and broad of scope. A member of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association’s coaching education program since 1978, he was its director for 15 years, growing the educational staff, expanding its curriculum extending its reach throughout the state. For the past 17 years he has served as a USSF and USYS national staff instructor. Allen was appointed Virginia’s first ODP coach in 1978 and has contributed at the state and regional levels. He also has coached at the high school and college levels, was a member of the NASL Steering Committee and assisted with the preparation of FIFA’s technical report on the 1994 World Cup.

Mike Berticelli Excellence in Coaching Education Award
Nancy Feldman, Boston University
Feldman has been a member of the NSCAA Academy’s National Staff since 1998 and has chaired the Convention Education Subcommittee since 2008. She also has served the NSCAA awards program extensively, including stints with the Division I ranking committee. She chaired the All-America Committee from 1989-95 and currently is the Northeast Region chair. The coach at Boston University, she has a 290-117-36 in 23 years and has led her team to America East titles in seven of the past 11 years. She was presented Boston University’s Honorary Scarlet Key in 2008, recognizing a faculty or staff member who been a positive influence on student life.

NSCAA members log in to comment. Not a member? Learn more today.