The Kansas City Chiefs have announced the recipients of the 2016 Missouri and Kansas High School Coach of the Year awards. Grain Valley's David Allie (Missouri) and Blue Valley's Eric Driskell (Kansas) each received this honor after strong performances by their respective teams throughout the 2016 high school football season.
As a result of this accolade, Allie and Driskell will each be presented with official trophies and a certificate by Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt at a pregame ceremony this Sunday, Dec. 18, at Arrowhead Stadium before the Chiefs take on the Tennessee Titans. Additionally, both schools will receive a $1,500 grant from the Hunt Family Foundation designated for player health and safety equipment and/or education.
Allie led the Eagles to their first-ever Missouri River Valley Conference West title and their first winning record since 2010. Along the way Grain Valley won at Missouri Class 4 Harrisonville and advanced to the district championship game for the first time.
"It is truly an honor to be recognized by such a great organization at the highest level of our sport," Allie said. "It is humbling to be selected out of all the great coaches in the Kansas City area. I greatly appreciate the recognition of the effort, dedication and camaraderie exhibited by our players and staff this season."
Allie came to Grain Valley after spending 14 years at Raytown South where he led the Cardinals to the Missouri playoffs six times between 2000 and 2011, including a run to the Class 5 semifinals in 2009 and state championship game in 2008.
Driskell led the Tigers to an undefeated regular season, an Eastern Kansas League championship and the No. 1 seed in the 6A west bracket. In the postseason they made it to their second-straight Class 6A state title game falling to Derby 17-14. This is the fifth time Blue Valley has been to a state championship game since Driskell took over in 2010. The Tigers won Class 5A championships in 2010 and 2013.
"Getting an award like this is an entire program award," Driskell said. "It is a direct reflection of the hard work, dedication and performance of our players coaches, and our community. On behalf of all of them, we are grateful for the honor and appreciate the recognition." An alumnus of Blue Valley, Driskell honed his skills from 1996-2009 as a coach under his mentor, former Blue Valley coaching legend and current Pittsburg State Offensive Coordinator Steve Rampy. In that time as an assistant on Rampy's coaching staff, Driskell was part of a Blue Valley team that won three state titles in six overall championship game appearances. He succeeded Rampy in 2010 and immediately guided the Tigers to a 5A Kansas State title, with an 11-2 record. Driskell also played for Rampy and was part of the 1991 Tiger squad that claimed the 5A Kansas Title.
