Anyone who’s ever met Mac Stephens can tell pretty quickly that he is a winner, but that was thoroughly confirmed the week of November 1^st when he won “Coach of the Year” honors TWICE- at both the Lake Erie League and the North East Lakes All District awards ceremonies.

“I was sitting in a meeting and my phone just kept going off,” said Stephens, who was completely caught off guard by the announcement of the North East Lakes award. “I was just hoping to get my players some well-deserved recognition, and it was all messages congratulating me, that’s how I found out I won.”  

Coach Stephens and his Division I Cleveland Heights Tigers had an amazing season in the Lake Erie League boasting a record of 9-3 and a Lake Erie League championship title. Cornerback Jumel Lewis was honored as defensive player of the year for his season of 7 interceptions, 14 pass breakup and 3 defensive touchdowns. Lewis also has Division I college scholarship offers from both Georgia Tech and Tennessee. The Tigers attribute their great season to “Playing unselfish football and always keeping the team first” according to their LEL Football Preview profile.

Stephens attributes his talent for facilitating successful teams to a self-created three-step system: pushing academic excellence, encouraging social responsibility and expecting each player to give their best effort. Those winning philosophies carry over to his work in City of Euclid Recreation where his goal is to give each child the tools they need to excel not only in their sport, but in their life. “Our programs offer so much more than games,” said Stephens, “we offer tutoring, mentoring, motivational speakers- weekly academic progress checks- we’re all about helping each child succeed on a level much deeper than someone might expect from a city rec program.”

“Mac Stephens truly cares about the youth of our community and is one of the most hard-working, dedicated people I know,” said Euclid Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail. “We are grateful he is part of our team!”

More information about City of Euclid recreation programs and Director Mac Stephens can be found at www.cityofeuclid.com