Former SC Soccer Coach Phil Savitz Selected to NFHS Hall of Fame

Indianapolis, Ind. (March 15, 2025) – Former South Carolina High School boys’ soccer coach Paul Savitz has been selected to the 2025 National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) National High School Hall of Fame, announced by the NFHS Thursday, March 13, 2025. Savitz is one of 11 honorees in the 2025 NFHS Hall of Fame Class. This year’s class includes four former athletes, four highly successful high school coaches, two former state association administrators, and one contest official.

The 11 honorees will be inducted June 30, 2025, during the 42nd induction ceremony of the National High School Hall of Fame, held at the 106th NFHS Summer Meeting in Chicago, ILL.

“This induction into the NFHS Hall of Fame is so appreciated by me and my family,” said Savitz. “We are so humbled and honored by it! My career has been a family affair, and I want to thank my family and the Irmo and River Bluff Soccer families for their support in making this possible!”

Savitz retired in 2023 after 45 years as the winningest high school soccer coach in South Carolina history and fifth-best all-time nationally.

“Coach Savitz is more than worthy of this honor,” said Dr. Jerome Singleton, Commissioner of the SCHSL. “We are extremely proud of Coach Savitz and all he did for the advancement of boys’ soccer in the SCHSL.”

After playing soccer at A. C. Flora High School in Columbia and graduating from the University of South Carolina in Columbia in 1978, Savitz started his illustrious career two years later at Irmo High School – also in Columbia. In 33 years at the 4A school, Savitz’s teams appeared in the state final 23 of those years and won the state championship 14 times.

In his 33 years at Irmo, Savitz recorded a 634-83-5 record and was named Region Coach of the Year 17 times and South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association State Coach of the Year three times. Between 1987 and 1998, Irmo won four consecutive South Carolina High School League State Soccer Championships two times – from 1987 to 1990 and from 1995 to 1998. He is the only coach in SCHSL history to win four consecutive championships twice.

In 2013, Savitz moved to River Bluff High School, a brand-new school in Lexington, South Carolina, where he established and built the school’s soccer program from the ground up. He continued to expand his legacy and championship totals before retiring in 2024. During his 12 years at River Bluff, Savitz won another 190 games with only 35 losses and two ties, which included winning the 2016 SCHSL Class 5A State Soccer Championship.

Combined at the two schools over 45 years, Savitz posted an 824-118-7 record – the most wins in South Carolina history and fifth-most all-time nationally, according to the NFHS National High School Sports Record Book.

Other honors include NFHS National Boys Soccer Coach of the Year in 2016 and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National Coach of the Year in 2016. He was listed among the Top 100 Greatest High School Sports Coaches of All Time by MaxPreps and was named Coach of the Decade (1980-1990) by High School Sports Report.

In 2007, Savitz was inducted into the South Carolina High School Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and in 2012, he was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Last year, Savitz was awarded the Order of the Silver Crescent by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. The Order of the Silver Crescent is South Carolina’s highest civilian honor for significant contributions to the community, which underscores Savitz’s lifelong dedication to youth development, sportsmanship, and excellence in high school soccer, as well as his positive impact on countless players and coaches during his 45-year career.

Fourteen of Savitz’s players earned State Player of the Year honors, and his teams regularly received the NSCAA Team Academic Award, which highlighted their exemplary performance in the classroom as well as on the field of play.

For a complete list and bios of the 2024 NFHS Hall of Fame Class, visit