Bay Area Coach Kris Keppel Up for National Honors

Best. Coach. Ever.

That’s how members of the Land O’ Lakes High School boys’ cross country team describe Coach Kris Keppel. And, they want others to know it, as well.

To that end, the team has nominated Keppel forBrooks Running’s 2014 Inspiring Coaches Award. The Gator coach has more than 9,000 votes on the contest’s Facebook page and team members are hoping to see him earn enough to take the title.

Keppel, the team’s long-time coach, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer before the cross country state finals in 2013. Since he was undergoing chemotherapy, team members figured he wouldn’t be able to make it to the big event.

They were wrong.

“To their surprise and delight, Coach Keppel showed up with clipboard in hand and an IV bag attached to his hip,” they wrote in his nomination.

The grandmother of a former student explains Keppel’s influence on his kids the best: He “knows how to address any issues that may come up – whether it be something with running, something with another teammate, academics, personal problems at home – or how to ask a girl to Homecoming.”

Keppel seems to think his kids are pretty special, too.

“I try to stay positive,” he told Bay News 9 before the state finals in 2013. “The kids have helped me do that. They work hard when they come to practice. This has been the best group of kids I’ve had in 20 years.”

Keppel’s team took the Sunshine State Athletic Conference Championship in 2013, in addition to winning district and regional titles.

The Brooks Running contest is taking place via Facebook. Votes for Keppel can be logged on a page dedicated to his story. He faces competition for more than 20 other coaches across the country. The winner will be announced later this summer.