North Kansas City High School Coach Leon Douglas was named the Chiefs Eric Driskell Coach of the Year at the Simone Awards on Sunday night at Olathe West High School. Douglas was the Chiefs Coach of the Week for the second week of the season. He will be honored at the Chiefs final regular season game against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, Dec. 30 and at the 2019 Pro Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
Douglas led the North Kansas City Hornets to a 10-2 record with a 5-1 finish in their division. The 10 wins marked the Hornets best finish to a season since 1957.
Douglas was one of four finalists selected in conjunction with The Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association and by a poll comprised of the 2018 Missouri and Kansas Coach of the Week winners. Throughout the fall, the Chiefs recognized a different coach on each side of the state line that set a benchmark among his profession. As a result, the winning coaches received a $500 player health and safety grant from the Hunt Family Foundation and each school received a Gatorade Sideline Kit, including coolers, bottles and Gatorade footballs. Additionally, both coaches were presented congratulatory footballs autographed by Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and a certificate recognizing their selection.
Since the 2017 season, the Chiefs High School Coach of the Year Award has been named in memory of Eric Driskell, the former coach at Blue Valley High School. Driskell was a three-time award recipient during his seven years with the football program and spent 14 years as the head coach of the boys' track and field teams. Driskell suddenly passed away in February of 2017.
The announcement is the culmination of the 22nd season of the High School Coach of the Week Fueled by Gatorade, a joint initiative of the Kansas City Chiefs and the National Football League. The program is designed to recognize and reward Kansas City area high school coaches for superior performance on a weekly basis while honoring individuals who are shaping today's youth and tomorrow's leaders.
The Kansas City Chiefs partnered with PrepsKC to select Coaches of the Week from Missouri and Kansas each week. PrepsKC offers the only complete multimedia coverage of high school football in the Kansas City Metro. This new way to look at high school football combines a dynamic web site, weekly magazine and comprehensive weekly radio show. More information about PrepsKC, including scores, schedules and coverage can be found at www.prepskc.com.
