Dolphins Commemorate Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Coach Aaron Feis
On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins posthumously named Aaron Feis – an assistant coach at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High who sacrificed his life to shield students from gunfire at February’s shooting in Parkland, Fla. – as the 2018 George F. Smith High School Coach of the Year.
Greeted by a standing ovation from the crowd, Feis’ wife, Melissa, and daughter, Arielle, accepted the award on the fallen hero’s behalf during a third-quarter ceremony on the Hard Rock Stadium field.
Coach Aaron Feis lost his life protecting students during the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
Today, we honored his legacy by presenting his wife and daughter the George Smith High School Coach of the Year Award. pic.twitter.com/4VA4EpqXfj
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) September 9, 2018
“It’s an honor for all of us, really, for Coach Feis to get the Coach of the Year Award,” said Eagles Head Football Coach Willis May. “If you knew him, you would appreciate that he got that award, because he really was a great man, mentor, friend and dad. For him to get the award was definitely an honor and well deserved. Anybody who knew Coach Feis loved him. We miss him every day and we’re very happy for him, his family and all the MSD family.”
Feis, a one-time Eagles standout center, served as both coach and school security guard at his alma matter for over a decade, taking pride in giving back to his beloved community in every way possible.
On top of instilling knowledge to linemen, warmly welcoming recruiters, and patrolling campus grounds on a daily basis, Feis helped as many as 70 players find collegiate football opportunities by compiling highlight DVDs and YouTube videos for anyone who asked, according to an ESPN.com profile.
In addition to honoring Feis, the Dolphins also named the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School football team as the Team of the Week and hosted players at the home opener.
“As far as being here today and getting to opportunity to get to be here, it’s amazing,” May said. “Our kids had a blast. To be on the field pregame, I saw mouths dropped. Everybody was just in awe and they were just incredibly touched. What a wonderful day for our kids and our program and we had a blast. We loved it and we can’t thank the Miami Dolphins enough for everything they’ve done for us since February 14. We want to say thank you and how much we appreciate it and what they’ve done for our kids, it’s amazing.”
Tags: Aaron Feis, miami dolphins, tom garfinkel
