Coach Weldon Nelms wins UILs Sponsor Excellence Award

By Chris Doelle
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Updated: January 20, 2013

Wimberley High School's Weldon Nelms was on the list as the University Interscholastic League (UIL) announced its Sponsor Excellence Award winners for 2012. The sixteen UIL program sponsors across the state of Texas receive an award of $1000 and a trophy commemorating their achievement.

According to the UIL, "The University Interscholastic League seeks to highlight the contributions of sponsors of UIL scholastic competition. This award is created to identify and recognize outstanding sponsors who assist students in developing and refining their extracurricular talents to the highest degree possible within the educational system while helping them to keep their personal worth separate from their success or failure in competition."

Criteria considered in the selection process include:

Accomplishments of UIL participants as a result of sponsor leadership (a five-year minimum).
Indication that the sponsor made maximum use of existing resources and student aptitude.
Principal recommendation of the sponsor as a effective teacher in non-UIL classroom activities.
A statement regarding the relative importance of competitive activities in the sponsor’s personal educational philosophy.
The desire to recognize sponsors from each of the three categories of UIL activities.

Sponsors of any UIL program, including Academics, Fine Arts, and Athletics, are eligible for nomination by school principles and superintendents. Recipients of the 22nd annual award included mostly UIL Academic and Fine Arts sponsors, with a couple track/cross country coaches and one basketball coach in addition to Wimberley's Coach Weldon Nelms - the lone football coach represented on the list. Nelms, who has been coaching for 33 years (29 as a Head Coach and Athletic Director,) adds this award to an impressive and decorated career.

Coach Nelms has been successful in two separate stints at Wimberley, first from 1990-1993 and again from 2002 to present, after holding the job at Glen Rose in between. The coach currently has a 237-111-3 all time record (143-48-1 in 14 years at WHS) and is the #1 all time wins leader for the Texans, including two undefeated 15-0 seasons and state championships leading Wimberley. In fact, Nelms-lead teams made the playoffs an impressive 22 of his 29 years as a head coach.

The Texans won their first UIL Class 3A State Championship in 2005 against Gainesville, and after falling in the 2010 State Semifinals, returned again to the title match in 2011. Wimberley defeated Argyle in the #25 2011 Game of the Year for Nelm’s second state championship. Coach Weldon Nelms was also Lone Star Gridiron’s 2011 Class 3A Coach of the Year.

Nelms says his goal is to teach pride in self, school, family and community.

“I want to excel as a positive and effective role model for student athletes, as well as instill the importance of leadership and education,” Nelms said.

Congratulations to Coach Nelms.

by Taylor Brasher
www.lonestargridiron.com