Jan Sander Named Recipient
of 2007 Women In Sports Leadership Award
Jan Sander, a successful teacher, coach and athletic administrator in the Warren Woods School System for the past 33 years, is therecipient of the 2006-07 Women In Sports Leadership Award by the Representative Council of the MHSAA.
Each year the Representative Council considers the achievements of women coaches, officials and athletic administrators affiliated with the MHSAA who show exemplary leadership capabilities and positive contributions to athletics. The award was presented by councilpresident Paul Ellinger (right) at halftime of the MHSAA Class A Girls Basketball Final game on Dec. 2.
By the numbers alone, Sander has been an outstanding coach. In 23 years as a basketball coach, she compiled a 427-159 record, winning seven league titles. In 21 years as a volleyball coach, her record was 532-173-41 with 12 league championships. Her teams won 17 MHSAA District titles and one Regional titles, and Sander was her league's coach of the year on 11 occasions. She was inducted into the Macomb County Coaches Hall of Fame in 1997, the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005.
As an athletic administrator, Sander has been active at the local, state and national levels. A member of the Michigan and National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Associations, she has served on numerous MHSAA committees and hosted many Association postseason tournaments. She was the founder of the Macomb County Girls Basketball and Volleyball Coaches Association and is the secretary of the Macomb Area Conference.
As a mentor to others, Sander has also been a presenter on many occasions at the MHSAA's Women In Sports Leadership Conference. She is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, and was nominated for the award by East Detroit High School.
“The leadership shown by Jan Sander as a teacher-coach and administrator is a model for all to follow,” said John E. “Jack” Roberts, executive director of the MHSAA. “True leaders in sports are those who nurture and grow those around them as people first and athletes second.”
Sander is the 18 th recipient of the Women In Sports Leadership Award. Past recipients are:
1990 - Carol Seavoy, L'Anse
1991 - Diane Laffey, Harper Woods
1992 - Patricia Ashby, Scotts
1993 - Jo Lake , Grosse Pointe
1994 - Brenda Gatlin, Detroit
1995 - Jane Bennett, Ann Arbor
1996 - Cheryl Amos-Helmicki, Huntington Woods
1997 - Delores L. Elswick, Detroit
1998 - Karen S. Leinaar, Delton
1999 - Kathy McGee, Flint
2000 - Pat Richardson, Grass Lake
2001 - Suzanne Martin, East Lansing
2002 - Susan Barthold, Kentwood
2003 - Nancy Clark, Flint
2004 - Kathy Vruggink Westdorp, Grand Rapids
2005 - Barbara Redding, Capac
2006 - Melanie Miller, Lansing
