Byrd nominated for national coach of the year award

It’s been a remarkable year for Whitefish boys soccer head coach O’Brien Byrd. He led the Bulldogs to a Class A state championship, picked up his 100th career win and now has been named one of seven finalists nationwide for High School Soccer Coach of the Year.

Byrd was first nominated by other Montana soccer coaches for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America / Adidas state Coach of the Year award. He then won Regional Soccer Coach of the Year in the Rocky Mountain states.

Next month he will attend an award banquet in Indianapolis where the national winner will be announced.

“I was very flattered to be named state soccer coach of the year. That’s quite the honor,” Byrd said. “But it blew me away to get regional coach of the year.”

The award honors the entire career accomplishments of a soccer coach.

Byrd has been with Whitefish soccer for 10 seasons. In that time he’s led the Bulldogs to back-to-back titles in 2006-07 and again in 2011-12. His 100th career win came this season at Columbia Falls.