CHICAGO, July 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As athletes and coaches prepare to take the stage during sports' biggest awards week, Gatorade honors two high school coaches – Wendell Phillips Academy's Troy McAllister and Dillard's Marcia Pinder – with the 2018 Gatorade Coaching Excellence Award. On July 17, McAllister and Pinder, along with the 2018 Gatorade Athlete of the Year nominees, will be honored at the Athlete of the Year Dinner in Los Angeles, California. In addition to this, they will all walk the red carpet at the 2018 ESPYS with some of the most iconic figures in sports.

The Gatorade Coaching Excellence Award was established in 2016 to honor the best and most dedicated high school coaches across the country. Every athlete, professional or amateur, has had a coach inspire them along the way, and it's Gatorade's aim to celebrate the truly remarkable impact that coaches have on high school athletes. Each year, the brand honors two coaches who have made a particularly impressive positive impact on the lives of their student-athletes and whose commitment to the coaching profession goes far beyond the game.

"We are proud to recognize the tireless and important work that Marcia and Troy do to build strong young men and women," said Jeff Kearney, Global Head of Sports Marketing for Gatorade. "Great coaching is about much more than winning, it's about setting these student-athletes up for success well beyond high school."

2018 GATORADE COACHING EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNERS

Troy McAllister – Head Football Coach, Wendell Phillips Academy High School
Under his watch, Troy has taken his team from just 12 players in 2010 – shortly after the school had been shut down due to poor performance, and re-opened as a "turnaround" program – to the 2014 Class 4A State Championship Title, going 14-0 in 2015, and the 2017 Class 5A State Championship Title.

• McAllister has led Wendell Phillips Academy to two state championships for football in the past three years – 2015 and 2017 Class 5A.
• With their 2015 championship, Wendell Phillips became the first Chicago Public School (CPS) to win a state championship in football since the playoffs began in 1974.
• The school had been shut down previously due to poor performance; reopened in 2010 as a turnaround program within the CPS system and now has a 100% graduation rate.

"He preaches accountability, encourages them to become leaders and understand decisions and choices they may have to make in order to be successful in life, not just on the field," said Candis Jackson, Wendell Phillips Academy High School Athletic Director.

Gatorade honored Troy in April before a spring workout for the team prior to this.

Marcia Pinder – Girls Basketball Coach, Dillard High School
During her tenure as a coach for over 40 years, Marcia has led her teams to nine state championships and 900+ wins. She is the winningest high school basketball coach in Florida history, however, her leadership extends far beyond the court. Marcia has had a large impact on her athletes – many of whom are brought up in at-risk homes – by taking them under her wing, buying players shoes when they cannot afford their own, driving players home from practice if they have no form of transportation, and once "adopting" a student that was moving between foster homes—helping her receive an academic and athletic scholarship.

• She is the winner of the 2017 Morgan Wooten Award for Lifetime Achievement in Coaching High School Basketball.
• In 2014, Pinder was named to the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) Hall of Fame.
• Pinder finished her 41^st year at Dillard with a 942-212 record.

"Coach Pinder is a pillar of our community. She helps her current and former players exceed beyond the court. She has led them to be basketball pros and to just succeed in life. Her players have gone on to be police officers, teachers, administrators – a large amount go into fields helping others because of her," said Kelvin Walker, Dillard High School Athletic Director.

Gatorade honored Marcia in May during the high school's sports banquet prior to this.

To learn more about Marcia and Troy, and why they were chosen as this year's winners, visit here.

About Gatorade
The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo PEP, provides sports performance innovations designed to meet the needs of athletes at all competitive levels and across a broad range of sports. Backed by more than a 50-year history of studying the best athletes in the world and grounded in years of hydration and sports nutrition research at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, Gatorade provides scientifically formulated products to meet the sports fueling needs of athletes in all phases of athletic activity. For more information and a full list of products, please visit www.gatorade.com.

About PepsiCo 
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2017, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world enable PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.  

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SOURCE The Gatorade Company