SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums SCHSSCA Newt Merricks Resigns at North Myrtle Beach

The following is the resignation speech from Newt Merricks of North Myrtle Beach HS who is stepping down as coach of the Chiefs after more than two decades in the game. I asked Newt's permission to publish this excerpt which is in my opinion, AWESOME! We wish Newt the very best away from the pitch! He's one of the classiest guys in the game!

It is hard to believe I just turned 50 years old, 12 days ago, Thank you to everyone for making it such a special day. A little over 23 years ago when I was 27 years old I started the soccer program at North Myrtle Beach high school, we played over off of 2nd ave in NMB, where the aquatics center now stands, I coached the team for 10 years then I retired, or so I thought for 3 years. Then I came back in order to coach my sons. And I have coached for the past 10 years.

As far as soccer goes I don’t feel I am the most knowledgeable coach out there, growing up I never had a coach with any technical or tactical knowledge from club thru college everything I ever learned I learned from playing or working hard on my own. The one thing I do feel I have always brought to my coaching is my love for the game. My strength was the ability to take an average player and make him able to do things that he or she never thought they could do, and to play with passion and leave their hearts and their souls on the field. I feel I no longer have the ability nor the desire to bring out this passion in my players. So that lets me know that to be fair to my players and myself it is time for me to move on. I have spent ½ of my life trying to help everyone’s kids except for my own. I feel it is time for me to focus on my family. I am not sad about leaving I have seen many of my players go on to do some great things. Most of the best days of my life have been spent on the soccer field and that part I will miss.

I would like to say a special Thank you, to the NMBHS Faculty and Staff along with Coach Quigley and Keeter Hayes for all of their support over the years. Along with the booster club, they are all a huge part of our success. To Lori and the girls and to my Co-Coach Jason Mueller thanks for sharing the ride with me. To my wife for being a soccer widow for all of these years and for putting up with my Giant Mood Swings when ever I am around. And to the parents that supported me,that believed in me and trusted me, even when I didn’t treat their child the way they would have wanted, they knew I did it for their best interest and the interest of the team. You know who you are and I thank you. But most importantly I want to thank all of my players for letting me share in helping shape their lives and dreams. I hope I helped in some way.

For some of you and your parents you need to really look inside and decide how important soccer is to you, it is not enough to just really want it, if that’s all it took then I would have 20 state championships by now, or even better I would be rich and playing soccer in the Premier League. It takes a willingness to take and accept criticism from coaches, it takes hard work on your own, it takes guts and having no fear, no fear to win a ball, take a shot or stretch your body out to stop a shot, or even making a fool of yourself trying to make yourself better. If you don’t have all four of these, you will never make it to the next level.

To the rest of you that play, just to have fun that is great too, for you soccer is just a game, but remember it is a game that teaches about having and setting goals, passion, commitment, dedication, selflessness and sacrifice to others. All important qualities to help you live a fulfilling and gratifying life. To all of you I wish Good Luck next year, good luck with the new coach, support him, believe in him, trust him and bring home a State Championship, I am leaving a great team with unbelievable potential, just reach that potential on the field and in life, And to everyone here, thanks for the memories.

Adding to Kevin's sentiments, Newt is a great coach and a friend of mine that I will miss coaching against. His soccer teams have always been the toughest teams Waccamaw has played year after year. Even in years where injuries thinned their line-up or they went through large graduations, you always were in for the toughest game(s) of your season when you went up against North Myrtle Beach. That had everything to do with Newt's coaching and leadership

Whether Newt knows it or not, I have learned a lot from him about coaching from the conversations I had with him and from watching his teams play.

Enjoy the time with your family Newt!!!

Ben Schoen
Waccamaw Boys Soccer

Best of luck, Newt. You are a class act and will be missed in SC soccer. May God bless you and your family.

Dear Newt,

You resigning has made me think about you and being my coach, my friend and most important my hero. I can’t believe just a week ago you were my coach and now your not. You’ve been the core reasoning for me being a soccer player ever since rec days when I was young. What was so great about you was that you always made me laugh poking and making jokes at everybody and even at me too. I remember all the great times I had playing at surf n turf and for nmb united. I couldn’t have asked for a better coach in all my years playing soccer. The best thing you have taught me is shown me now that it doesn’t take skill to win games, it takes heart and now I realize that. Its sad I had to realize that thru you not coaching me anymore for high school. I haven’t been saddened so much by something in soccer than you not being my coach. If I could take one thing back with all my years playing soccer for you in high school is playing to my fullest potential cause I know you know that deep down inside of me that there’s a great soccer player. I wish I could have showed you that with you as my coach. I know I never showed my serious side or acted liked I cared but I cared more to win than anything and it kills me to have ended the season like we did. Every time you said something I would be a hundred percent with, so be it if I was on the bench for a whole game but I still went with your decision. I hope I was a good player on and off the field to you. I hope to see you soon. I still wish you were still my coach but you will always be my hero!

I fully support your decision leaving for your family and personal reasons. I hope you have a great, happy, enjoyable life. You’re the greatest newtie!

With love,
Cody.

Hey Newt, I’m sure you know that you left a lot of devastated kids the other night. We were all in shock and highly upset. We hope that our underachievement this year did not contribute to your decision. And you have put the passion into all of us since we were young. You gave us the drive to make soccer our number one priority, and we all have harnessed it and based our lives around it. You’ve changed the lives of all of us Newt, I can speak for every single player that has stepped on the field for you. Without your guidance, I don’t know how I can cope with myself. I still need development to reach that next level, we all do. And we want you to be there for us because you are the most knowledgeable soccer mind we’ve ever known. Due to your efforts, I am ready to step up and lead this team to the next level. All of the upperclassman are prepared to join me, and the underclassmen are ready to follow. We only want to finish what we started under you. You put us where we are now, you are ingrained in all of our lives, and we are all so depressed thinking about not having you. I don’t know if you have put into perspective how much you mean to us, but you have been like a father to us all. Honestly, I would put you over my own dad any day. You are leaving about twenty sons, and we hate to see you leave now. I will have much difficulty putting on a Chief uniform without you, and I am not alone. I need you, the team needs you. I know it may seem selfish, but we want you back next year, we can’t even to begin to imagine any different. You’ve towered over the sideline with us personally for over twelve years, and we have to reach the finishline with you Newt. You’ve watched us grow and change, and we’ve watched you do the same. The memories accumulated over the years are too much to name, and I just wish there was room left for a few more memories. We guarantee that they would be ones you would never forget. You have single-handedly created to the soccer boom in the North Myrtle Beach area, inspiring the hearts of many people. Your job was a year round affair: from training and coaching the high school team in the winter and spring, to Lundy camps and your own camps in the summer, to running rec ball in the fall, and coaching numerous club teams all year round. Nearly a quarter of a century of hard work has paid off brilliantly, and the city will view you as a legend to this area and to South Carolina soccer. I am so happy for you that you can now spend time with your family. You have a great, devoted wife that shares the same drive in life as you do, talented kids, and a little grandson that all love you. You can now devote your full attention to them, and do the things you missed out on with the obligations you had. You are taking a piece of all of us on the team with your exit, and it will be hard to let go and move on. But, as you are so greatly showing us, life does go on, and we will yet again follow your wisdom. I am so honored to know you, to have played for you, and most importantly, to be your friend. I love you Newt. Thanks for it all.
-Ben Clyburn










Coach Newt! I don’t even know where to start. You’ve been there for me and everyone else on the team since we were little kids and now that we’re almost gone you have to leave us. I really appreciate all that you have done but I don’t think it is time for you to go yet. We still have a few more years left with some great kids that love you. If you leave Newt that means Jason might too and I don’t know what I will do if you both are gone. I was expecting to have both of y’all there for us until I graduated and now I see I can’t have that. You’ve taught me everything I know and I still have a lot to learn from you and Jason. I just can’t take it coach. The whole team is sadder than any team will ever be for losing a coach. I just wish you would take a few more years and stay with us. Playing without you as our coach just isn’t going to be right. Losing you is like losing a part of our family that we have, it’s just not whole anymore. I don’t think you realize how much you are going to be missed by all of our players. Thank you for everything.

-Kyle Smith


Newt, thanks for all the time you’ve put into making us better players. You’ve taught us so much about soccer and life. You will be greatly missed by all of us. Thanks again for all you have done.
-Zack Crowl


Best of luck Newt we will miss you greatly. Thanks so much for everything.

-Ryan Hall


Newt we are going to miss you so much and we would love it if you came back. But thanks for all the great times.
-Charles Hamilton


Newt I know you went through some hard times with me on the soccer field but I do think that you made me a better player. I know that you had to love picking on me all the time about everything that I did. I guess that meant that you had to like me just a little bit. I wish you were going to coach next year because it is my last year, but I understand why you are leaving. I just wanted to let you know how I felt and that the whole team will miss you next year.
-Bryce Kennedy





Newt I can’t believe it’s really come to an end. You’ve been by my side ever since I started playing soccer. I can’t even put into words how thankful I am because without you, I would have never made it this far. You were always there when I needed you, whether it was soccer or something else. I hope to see you at some of my soccer games in the near future. Thank you for being my inspiration. You will be missed greatly.

-Tiffany Kinner


Newt, we will really miss you! Thanks for everything you did for the soccer program at NMBHS. I hope you kept your purple and yellow flowers I gave you on the daily! Thanks again, we’re best buds for life. Love you tons! You will be truly missed and your efforts will never be forgotten.

-Lauren Livingston

The testimonies of your players say it all, Newt. Congrats and good luck!

Man, the love and respect of your players is pretty abundant. Great stuff and well done, Coach.

Newt, I wish you nothing but the best! Enjoy your time with you family. You have earned it. I only hope that someday my players will feel the same way about me. That is the real reason we coach, to lead guide and shape young people. I can only hope that I am doing as good a job as you have. You will be missed by all in the Grand Strand area. We all thank you for you service and time.

Best Reguards,

Coach J

Dear Newt,

I can’t believe this is the end. You have made such a huge impact on my life, even though we do have are moments were we get a little hot headed; we both know at the end of the day we still care for each other. It is extremely sad to see you leave and to read that letter just tore me up. I don’t know what I will do without you next year, I have learned so much from you in soccer and in life. I hope I have lived up to all your expectations and I will work harder to go above and beyond to the next level. I can’t wait until I see you again, but for now spend time with your family take some time off you have definitely deserved it. I love you Newt and thanks for EVERYTHING.

Love,
Travis Buis

Newt,
Other than All-State selection meetings and North-South games I never really got to know you that well, but wow, what an endorsement from alot of lives you have touched.
Half of what is said doesn't even involve soccer--that to me says a ton. The Best of Luck to You!