2011 Award Winner, Theresa “Tee” MacDonald
Tee MacDonald was a pioneer in high school soccer both in Arizona and Colorado. In 1984 at age 24 she became the first head coach at Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Arizona where she had a successful career. Theresa earned the Tucson Coach of the Year Award in 1984.
After moving to Colorado to teach at Denver East High School she took on the boys varsity. She became one of, if not the first, women coach of boys’ high school soccer.
Her boys teams over the next 15 years dominated the Denver Public School League winning 3 league titles, finishing second numerous times, qualifying for the State Tournament almost every year, and capturing the 1994 State Championship, the first for any DPS League boys’ soccer team.
In 1991 she began coaching the Angel Girls varsity and surpassed even her achievements with the boys by winning 10 straight DPS league titles and finishing second the years they didn’t take first. The girls reached the State quarterfinals 6 times and in 1991 they were State Championship Runners-up, only the second time a DPS girls program had made it that far.
As a United States Soccer Federation “C” licensed coach her coaching expertise was evident as her Denver East teams were an annual threat at the 4 and 5A levels. This was also recognized by her fellow coaches as Tee was named the DPS soccer Coach of the Year in 1992-1993 and 1999-2000; the Denver Post COY in 1994; and the Colorado High School Soccer Coaches Association COY in 1991 for girls and in 1994 for boys.
Theresa was recognized by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America as their Rocky Mountain Region VII Boys Large School COY in 1994.
Not limiting herself to on-the-field soccer involvement, Tee was the Colorado High School Soccer Coaches Association secretary for 3 years, volunteered as a board member for the Denver Soccer Club, and as a DSC parent volunteer.
In 2007 Theresa was inducted into the Denver East High School’s Coaches Hall of Fame