In many respects, Danny Wilkins’ life has come full circle. He attended Millbrook High School and graduated with honors in 1972. However, Millbrook did not have a soccer program.

Little did he know that he would wind up being the first four-year letterman in soccer at Barton College – or that he would return to Millbrook and turn the Wildcats’ soccer program into one of the most revered in the state.

He boasted a 210-110-24 career boys record at the time of his induction and was 184-53-15 as a girls coach in the 20 years since graduating Barton, where he was the recipient of the Edward Cloyd Award given to the senior student-athlete graduating with the highest grade point average.

At Millbrook, where he has been since 1982, Wilkins has led the boys (’94) and girls (’89) to state championships. The boys have qualified for the state playoffs 10 times since 1983 and the girls have made 10 playoff trips since 1986.

Wilkins, who began his coaching career at Vance Academy in Henderson and Ridgecroft School in Ahoskie, started the girls soccer program at Millbrook.

Wilkins, who is married to Mary Ellen Taft, has been a regional prep Coach of the Year three times and has coached two players to All-America status. He has also coached in the East-West All-Star game.