Amber Deline is “Alumnus of the Year” for the Kinesiology Department at the University of Montevallo. CONTRIBUTED

MADISON – The University of Montevallo has chosen Amber Deline as the Kinesiology Department’s “Alumnus of the Year.”

Deline is head coach of girls’ basketball at James Clemens High School. She also teaches physical education and assists athletic director Rocky Smith with athletes’ eligibility paperwork.

“You have a great young lady working for you as both a physical education teacher and a leader of young ladies,” Dr. Michael Nevett said in contacting James Clemens Principal Dr. Brian Clayton about Deline’s honor. Nevett is associate professor and program coordinator of kinesiology at Montevallo.

Deline earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of North Alabama and completed a master’s degree in physical education at Montevallo. Physical education is one degree in the department of kinesiology, or the study of anatomy, physiology and mechanics of the human body.

After graduating from Montevallo in 2006, Deline worked as an assistant coach for women’s basketball and taught tennis and badminton at Samford University for two years.

The following six years, she taught health and physical education at Oneonta High School and coached girls’ basketball, softball, volleyball and track and field.

“As the girls’ basketball coach at Oneonta, we won back-to-back state championships,” Deline said. “I was named 4A ‘Coach of the Year’ and was head coach of the North-South All-Star Game in 2013.”

As girls’ head coach Oneonta, Deline had an overall record of 155-42.

“It always makes me feel very humbled to have former players and students to contact me once they have graduated to thank me for pushing them outside their comfort zone and for pushing them to do their best,” Deline said. “That’s the greatest reward.”

During her years in education as teacher and student, Deline most fondly remembers her twelfth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Hayes. “She was my favorite teacher because she challenged us to be better than what we were, and I loved that and responded to that,” Deline said.

Deline was recognized at Montevallo during the College of Education’s awards dinner on Feb. 9 and a homecoming reception on Feb. 13.