It’s not hard to miss Nimitz Middle School Athletic Coordinator Tralund Webber. He’s 6’5” on a campus full of middle schoolers. He towers over most of the teachers too. The other thing you can’t help but notice about Coach Webber is the smile on his face when he’s talking about his students.
“We have some great kids here at Nimitz. The parents are very involved throughout the football and basketball seasons. I am very honored to be able to coach and teach their kids.”
Webber grew up on a football field. He’s played sports since second grade. After winning a couple of state championships in high school, he took his talents to Oklahoma State University. He knows the power of coaching. And he knows with power comes great responsibility.
At Nimitz, he coaches the seventh-grade boys’ football team, the eighth-grade girls’ basketball team, and track, and when soccer season rolls around, he will be coaching the eighth-grade girls. So, it’s a lot of responsibility. But Webber sees all of those assignments as opportunities to grow students.
“My favorite part of the job is seeing the kids grow. When a kid becomes confident in themselves, there’s nothing that they can’t do in their minds. So, being able to help a kid grow out on the field can also translate to the classroom and taking care of the academics.”
Before coaching kids on the field, Webber was coaching kids in the classroom, working with special education students, and helping them find their unique paths to success.
“I am here to help motivate the kids and help them be successful. And so, every day, I wake up and think, what can I do to make the kids better? So I make sure I’m doing everything I can to not cheat the kids. I’ve got to be able to lead them and be a role model that they want to look up to.”
Thank you Coach, for showing our students how to grow their confidence on and off the field #theNEISDway
