Union Cross Country Coach Steve Sheehy named NFHS National Coach of the year
By Garrett Christensen on Tuesday, January 27th, 2026 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
UNION – Former Union High School cross country coach Steve Sheehy has officially been named a National Coach of the Year by the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) for Oregon. Sheehy has been coaching cross country with the Union School District for 23 years and only retired at the end of the 2024-2025 school year, concluding his career on a high note.
Though coaching both the Union boys and girls for the entirety of his time at the district, Sheehy was specifically recognized under the boys sports category. In total, Sheehy was one of 24 coaches from across the country recognized as a 2024-2025 National Coach of the year by the NFHS. For more information on his career and coaching record, see the following bio provided by the NFHS:
“Steve Sheehy has been the girls and boys cross country coach at Union High School in Oregon for 23 years and has led the boys team to nine Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) state titles and the girls team to six state championships. The Union boys cross country team has qualified for the Oregon state meet 21 consecutive years under Sheehy’s tutelage. In track and field, Sheehy has coached six athletes to 10 individual titles in three events. He has been selected Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year nine times by the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association (OACA), and he has received the honor six times for girls cross country.
He was the NFHS Section 8 Coach of the Year for girls cross country in 2013. Since 1996, Sheehy has been treasurer of the Bobcat Foundation, which has raised and distributed more than $500,000 for Union High School graduates in the past 30 years. He is a 24-year member of the OACA and former chairman of the Union School Board.”
