In his sunset season of coaching, boys' and girls' varsity head soccer coach Lee Horton has added two major accomplishments to his impressive career. First, he was named as a National Winner of the Double-Goal Coach Award by the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA). Second, he surpassed 1,000 Charlotte Latin wins with the Hawks' home victory on March 29.

PCA's mission is to be a catalyst for a positive youth sports culture in all communities across the U.S. Its Double-Goal Coach Award accepts annual nominations for coaches who strive to win but prioritize teaching life lessons through sports. PCA announced the names of 100 Regional Award Winners in February, and narrowed the group to 25 National Award Winners in March. The nomination process includes a detailed application, a minimum of three references, and an interview. Horton received more than twenty recommendations and is the third Charlotte Latin coach to receive this award, joining Mike Weiss (cross country and track) and Patty Waldron (boys' and girls' swimming) who were recognized in 2018 and 2020, respectively.

A few weeks after the award announcement, the varsity girls' soccer team defeated Hibriten High School 4-0 at home in Patten Stadium to secure the 1,000th Charlotte Latin varsity soccer victory under Coach Horton's leadership. The wins were fairly evenly spilt between the girls' program (521) and the boys' program (479) and were accumulated over Horton's 37 years at the helm. As his players doused him with water and celebrated the achievement, Coach Horton gathered them in a circle and told them, "I have not won a single game. YOU did that. You and all the Hawks that came before you. And I could not be more proud."

In addition to Horton's 1,000 wins with Latin, he has 140 wins from his first few years of coaching at Greenfield School. He made the move to Charlotte Latin in 1985 and has been teaching physical education, driving a bus, and coaching soccer here ever since. Along the way, his teams have achieved 35 CISAA Conference Championships, 19 NCISAA State Championships, he's been named to the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame (2007), selected as the United Soccer Coaches Girls' High School Coach of the Year (2017), and received the Latin Booster Club's Coach of the Year award at the Hawkspys twice.

When asked how he feels as he heads into the final months of his coaching career, Coach Horton responded, "The night before each game makes me feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. I want to get to bed early so game day will get here quicker! In this last year, I have been blessed with two incredible teams full of players who care for each other and are a joy to coach. In one sense, I don't want it to end, but I have had tremendous joy coaching here at Latin and it is time for someone else to experience it."

Congratulations Coach Horton!