INDIANAPOLIS—North Carolina high school coaches continue to make great inroads in terms of national certification, according to figures released recently by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

         The state is now seventh nationally in total Accredited Interscholastic Coaches (AIC). North Carolina had 177 coaches who became AIC in 2014, which is almost three times the number achieving that status in 2013.

         North Carolina has a total of 446 Accredited Interscholastic Coaches, of the entire national total of 14,391. Achieving that level means that the coach has successfully completed courses in the Fundamentals of Coaching; First Aid, Health and Safety for Coaches; Concussion in Sports, and then one sport-specific course of the coach’s choice.

         North Carolina leads the nation in Certified Interscholastic Coaches (CIC), the next level of certification available in the NFHS National Coach Certification Program at the end of 2014. North Carolina has 57 of the national total of 477 in this category, with California a distant second. 

         In addition to the courses to earn AIC status, the courses for the CIC designation include Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment, Strength and Conditioning, Teaching and Modeling Behavior, Engaging Effectively with Parents, Sportsmanship and two additional courses of the coach’s choice.

        These are cumulative totals for AIC since this certification began in 2010 and cumulative for CIC since it began July 2014.