The Needham Exchange Club is proud to announce that Don Brock, head varsity boy’s soccer coach for Needham High School, has been named Grand Marshall of this years 4th of July He joins a long list of Needham’s most distinguished and accomplished citizens. A recent Parade Marshall was former State representative Lida Harkins.
Coach Brock has made a significant difference in the lives of student athletes both while they were students and through the lasting impact that the coaching experience had on their later lives. Brock has coached soccer at Needham High since the 1960’s and has over 600 career wins to his credit.
Brock, who is in his 54th year of coaching soccer, also taught for 46 years at Needham High School. Brock, a math teacher at NHS, eventually took over as the director of the Math Department, a position he held for 13 years.
As a teacher and a coach, Don Brock influenced his student athletes in many ways. They not only succeeded while on his teams but also as they moved on from Needham HS. When speaking with Brock, he explains how soccer remains a part of the lives of many of his former athletes, even after they graduate and are no longer part of his team. He believes that soccer, or any sport for that matter, has a way of influencing one’s life.
The values and qualities his athletes gain while on his teams stick with them and help them create and shape their bright futures. Brock stated that many of his athletes went on to further their education after high school and hold successful careers in many different fields and areas of work. The tremendous list of awards and accomplishments Brock has achieved as a coach and teacher conveys the impact Brock has had throughout his career, and it is very evident that he is a great recipient of this award and deserves to be recognized for his exceptional time in the Needham community.
One of the turf fields in Needham, ‘Brock Field.’ was named after Don for all of his years and work at the High School and in the community.
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