Field hockey coach Sue Butz-Stavin of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, was inducted into the 2023 National High School Hall of Fame. Photo Credit: Lehigh Valley News
I always enjoy sharing the story of an outstanding high school athletic coach. One of these is Sue Butz-Stavin, an exceptional field hockey coach from Emmaus, Pennsylvania. In 2023, she was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame.
Sue holds the record for most wins for a field hockey coach in the history of the sport in Pennsylvania. Nationally, she is at the top of the list by nearly 200 victories. In her 47-year career at Emmaus High School, Sue has compiled an impressive record of 1041-83-35. That record includes a 69-game winning streak in 2023. According to the NFHS National High School Sports Record Book, her nearest competitor has 839 victories.
Sue’s field hockey teams have made 37 appearances in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) State Championship. There they have won 14 titles, in addition to two runner-up finishes and nine final four appearances. Her teams have won a total of 40 district titles, including 34 in a row.
As the daughter of a physical education teacher, Sue remembers that as a child she was always taken along to sporting events. She joined the first field hockey program at her alma mater during her junior year in 1969, and she began coaching while teaching abroad in Australia. She was hired to coach at Emmaus in 1976, 16 years after the founding of the school’s field hockey program.
For her work as a high school athletic coach, Sue has been inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame. She has garnered with numerous state and national Coach of the Year titles. In 2021, she was named the PIAA Field Hockey Coach of the Year. Her teams at Emmaus have been ranked No. 1 in the nation on four different occasions. Over the years, many of her players have played field hockey at the NCAA Division I level. And her athletic program has even been featured on TV’s The Today Show and ESPN.
The National High School Hall of Fame was founded in 1982 by the National Federation of State High School Associations in an effort to honor high school athletes, coaches, officials, administrators, and others. The Hall of Fame was organized as a means of recognizing, preserving, and promoting the heritage of interscholastic sports in the United States.
To read more about Sue Butz-Stvin, click on this link to Lehigh Valley News.
