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Student Loubens Mentor and Coach Mike Nunnally and Student Jason Felder

Mike Nunnally Returns to Boys Home

 
Covington, VA (Dec. 17, 2018) - Mike Nunnally is the new Boys Home Hilltoppers basketball coach for the 2018-2019 season. Mike has always been a “Boys Home boy” so he feels he is back to his roots where he was helped to grow into a successful man. “Being back at Boys Home fits like a glove and I am blessed to have the opportunity to share what I learned here with the current students,” says Mike.

Mike first came to Boys Home of Virginia in 1956 at 12 years old. He stayed at Boys Home until he graduated from Covington High School in 1963. During his time at Boys Home, the most influential people to him were Executive Director Bob Burrowes, houseparent Francis “Granny” Myers, and most of all his coach, mentor, and father figure Paul Siple. Mike lived in Greene Cottage with his best friend, Pete Dimick, and later named his son after Pete. As a child, Mike was blessed with athletic ability, which Coach Siple nurtured. Mike played basketball and baseball at Boys Home and then continued to play both of those sports at Bridgewater College.

Mike was always interested in coaching, as athletics and competitiveness ran in his blood. He majored in Physical Education at Bridgewater College and after graduation worked as a teacher and coach in Loudoun County, VA, for over 30 years. Mike says that this was never a job for him but rather a vocation.

This September, Mike came back to Boys Home to host a basketball clinic for the Boys Home students. The boys instantly liked and respected him, and they were hardworking and eager to learn for those five days. He had no idea at that moment that he would be the new basketball coach for the 2018-2019 season.

A few days later Executive Director Donnie Wheatley asked Mike if he would be interested in coaching the boys this basketball season. Mike was surprised at the offer but after conferring with his family, it was really an easy decision.

Mike has adopted the philosophy that the team is “blue collar,” meaning they have to work for everything they receive. The strengths he sees in the team is their eagerness to learn and the knowledge that they must work together to achieve success. He also has a metal lunch pail that gets passed along among the player who demonstrates the most determination and hard work at each game.

Coaching at Boys Home is a different kind of challenge than in a public school setting, Mike says, as the boys live together and bring that experience to the gym with them. His main focus has been to teach them to be student athletes, play as a team, and to take pride in what they do.

The Boys Home basketball schedule can be found on our website at boyshomeofva.org under the news tab. The public is invited to support Coach Nunnally and the team at every game!

Boys Home of Virginia strives to help young men, ages 6-18, develop their potential. Through this mission, our residents receive the tools they need to develop into responsible, contributing citizens and

members of society. Our motto is, “A successful man has to start somewhere.” For many young men, that start begins at Boys Home of Virginia.
 
 
 

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