North Reading High School (NRHS) Coach Frank Carey was named the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) 2011-2012 Coach of the Year. He will be honored at a Coach of the Year/Student Athlete Banquet on May 30 at the MIAA headquarters. 

Carey, who has been coaching baseball for 48 years, said that the honor is a result of having good kids to work with.

"It was quite a surprise," Carey said of the award. "I am very pleased that they selected me, and we have a lot of very good baseball coaches in Massachusetts, so it's a great award."

Carey believes that the coaches honored were selected based on the fact that they have done a lot of outstanding things in their sports, not on their game records.

NRHS Athletic Director Dave Johnson spoke highly of Carey, and appreciates that he teaches his players respect for the game. 

"I've known Frank since I became athletic director in 1988. I have to say, I'm amazed at his daily intensity, and his meticulous attention to detail that he has on a daily basis when it comes to preparing a baseball team," Johnson said.

He mentioned that other coaches may rely on assistants when they get older, but Carey has always been the only coach of the baseball team. Johnson complimented the way Carey prepares his team and said that every single pitch is important to him.

"He's not a ranter or a raver," the athletic director said. When things go wrong, he explains to his players how to do them correctly and when things go right he reinforces that, Johnson said.

"He doesn't just practice baseball, he teaches the game," Johnson said.

As a Coach of the Year, Carey will be a nominee for a Regional Coach of the Year award and possibly the National Coach of the Year award.

"It's very nice to be recognized by the MIAA," he said. 

Carey received another honor this year. In March he found out that he will be inducted into the National High School Baseball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in November.