Our 2022/2023 Wyandotte Athletic Coach of the Year is Kendall Young. Kendall has worked for the district since 2013. He has been the head baseball coach since 2013, the head softball coach since 2016, and he has served as the athletic director for the last 4 years. Throughout his tenure, he has coached middle school basketball, taught PE classes, and this last year has served as an instructor in the Leaford Bearskin Aviation Preparatory Academy.
Kendall has proven to be a very able athletic director in addition to his roles leading the softball and baseball programs. The logistics of leading the athletic department are daunting to say the least and he manages to build and adjust schedules, grow and care for athletic facilities, manage and help hire personnel, keep concession stands stocked and manned, and a million other tasks that fall under that banner. The amount of time he spends doing these things, attending games for every sport, helping to be an administrator on duty at all of these function, and still try to be a husband and father . . . let’s just say he’s a very busy man. He at various times also helps to run the elementary age sports programs as well and serves his community admirably.
Here are a few of the things that past and present students, parents, and co-workers had to say about him. They were asked the question, “What has this coach nominee done this year that illustrates either consistent greatness in their position and/or above the call of duty performance in some way?” Here is how they responded:
Keeps it all going!
Kendall Young I feel is our “Coach of the Year”! He’s the one person that loves Wyandotte athletics and has the passion for Wyandotte. Yes, he’s the AD, but Kendall would truly be at all or most athletic events throughout the year. He’s a Wyandotte person and knows the community very well and has ownership in all athletics. Plus his teams are well coached in all phases and are very successful. Kendall is a good man and a great example for all of Wyandotte. He’s a true BEAR!!
Coach Young has ALWAYS been more than a coach to my girls. He pushes to reach their full potential without belittling them. I guess the reason why I will always be a supporter of Coach Young is because he always supported my kids even after they are not one of his softball players anymore. The day he and his wife (she deserves an award too) showed up at our house to show support to my daughter in a big life event is a day that I will NEVER forget!! When a coach is more than a coach they will always leave a positive impact on their players and that is Coach Young!
Coach Young does more behind the scenes than any of us are ever going to be aware of. He takes his role as athletic director very seriously and makes sure schedules are right and such that they keep up competitive in the right ways for each program, our concession stands are stocked, and our facilities are top notch. The hours he puts in managing the entire athletic department are innumerable. He also runs great programs in softball and baseball and steps in to help coach in any substitute situation that may arise. He has great relationships with our student body and is a fully invested Wyandotte grad that keeps making Wyandotte better.
Kendall plays a lot of roles at Wyandotte Public Schools. He is not only the athletic director, softball coach, baseball coach but also a mentor to a log of young men and women and builds lasting relationships with the students as well as parents. He puts in a lot of hours to keep this sports program up and running for our school. He puts out a lot of fires from parents as well as students as AD and is always professional in that role and representing Wyandotte. He serves a lot of hours at this school away from his family and it does not go unnoticed.
Always strives to be example for the young people of Wyandotte
Everything
Kendall is continuously successful in softball and baseball. I believe he is a good candidate for coach of the year because of all he does. He does athletic director responsibilities, along with helping with aviation classes. All of our coaches deserve coach of the year, but Kendall stands out to me due to how much extra he does to take care of everyone else.
In a year when we’ve seen more change to our athletic facilities than ever before, he’s managed to help that task in ways we’ll never know. A lot of extra hours and planning have gone into adjusting for the growth of our facilities. This year, of all years, is a time when we need to honor Coach Young.
Congratulations to our athletic coach of the year, Coach Kendall Young!