About Coach Doug
William Douglas Wilson, Jr. - Coach Doug
Doug Wilson is President of the Board of Directors and lead Instructor for Coach Doug Academy, Inc., a Washington DC-based non-profit dedicated to preparing youth to become tomorrow's leaders by instilling important life lessons and building self-esteem. Doug's approach is to reach children's minds, build their bodies, develop their professional skills and expand their outlook by integrating class content with science & technology and leveraging a variety of non-competitive sport programs for delivery of skills training. In his role, Doug is responsible for all business operations of an organization that serves thousands of children each session. Doug has a decades-long track record of high performance and delivery of excellent results.
Doug's career choice and his gift for teaching were shaped greatly by a motorcycle accident in 1991, where he suffered a serious brain injury and spent 8 days in a coma and years re-learning how to walk and talk. During Doug's rehabilitation, kids encouraged and inspired him -- re-teaching him sports skills & accepting his disability. Along the way, Doug discovered his passion for teaching children and his desire to give back to those who helped him. By 1993, Doug was teaching kids and had become known as Coach Doug.
In addition to his responsibilities with Coach Doug Academy, Inc., Doug is very active in giving back to the community through volunteerism and civic activism. He has been recognized for his work on the Potomac, MD Rotary Club, The Montgomery County Recreation Board and Leadership Montgomery. He was the 1996 Montgomery County Man of the Year, a 1996 Olympic Torch Bearer, received many Maryland Governor's Citations, a Maryland House of Delegates Citation and recognition in the United States Congressional Record. In 2011, he was nominated for the Blue Angels Key Influencer Program. Numerous articles have been written about Coach Doug and his work in local publications.
Doug is passionate about advocating for the use of protective helmets - which began in 1992 with his active participation in the passage of the Maryland Helmet Law. His fundraising efforts have included his "Coach Doug Thumbs Up" 5K Runs, which raised money for the Brain Injury Association. His other efforts have supported the American Heart Association, the Special Olympics and most recently his donation resulted in raising over $16,000 for Evansville (Indiana) Harrison High School baseball team to replace their baseball helmets, uniforms and equipment.
Doug, a Maryland resident since the age of 5, attended the University of South Carolina and graduated with a BS degree in Economics. A lifelong soccer player and referee, Doug was a student athlete while attending USC and participated as a kicker on the Gamecocks football team.
Doug resides in the Washington DC metropolitan area with his wife and three children and enjoys recreational sports, classic cars and travel. More information can be obtained about Coach Doug on www.coachdoug.net.
