Needham's Dave Duffy Receives Positive Coaching Award

On Tuesday, June 26, the Boston chapter of Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) honored two of Greater Boston’s most outstanding interscholastic coaches at the first Sports Leadership Breakfast at Fenway Park’s EMC Club. 

football coach Dave Duffy and JD O’Bryant High School girls varsity basketball and volleyball coach Gertrude Fisher received the Double Goal Coach Awards for their achievements as exceptional mentors and coaches.

Duffy has been coaching Needham High School football for 14 years and has received many honors including the 2012 Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletics Association’s . In those 14 years, Duffy has gone 101-53, including four post-season appearances and one berth in 2011.  

But what sets Duffy apart is his ability to constructively mentor his student athletes off the field. Duffy has been lauded for his deep passion and dedication to ensuring that his student athletes excel not only as players, but also in their personal and academic lives as young adults. These qualities earned Duffy the Double Goal Coach honor from PCA. 

In addition to the awards ceremony, the event featured a panel discussion with Boston coaching icons Doc Rivers, Bobby Valentine and others. The Coffee with the Coaches panelists shared personal experiences and explored the role of coaches as key educators capable of imparting critical life lessons and shaping young athletes’ futures.