Francie Spurgin McBride

Three Rivers Volleyball - 1992-94

Three Rivers College's 2025 Raider of the Year is Branson High School and former Winona High School volleyball coach Francie Spurgin McBride.

The Raider of the Year Award is presented to a former Three Rivers athlete who has succeeded beyond their sport and time at Three Rivers. Nominees remain involved in athletics in their respective careers or volunteer efforts and are well-respected amongst their peers and communities.

"Coaching has been the most rewarding job I could have chosen," Spurgin McBride said. "I love what I do because I get to watch young girls grow into strong, responsible, confident, self-sufficient women. The greatest rewards are when your kids come back to you and thank you for instilling in them the work ethic and values to be successful in life."

Spurgin McBride graduated from Eminence High School in 1992, where she helped the 1991 team reach the state quarterfinals. She then played volleyball for two years at Three Rivers before transferring to Evangel University.

After college, Spurgin McBride worked at Eminence as the assistant volleyball coach. Soon she received a phone call from Winona Superintendent Mike Green, an Eminence rival 11 miles south.

"Something they sold me on was really motivating - girls willing to work and show dedication at such a young age," Spurgin McBride said. "I was able to build from the ground up with full community support, which was vital to our success."

Winona finished 18-8 in her second season, won the district tournament in her third, and reached the final four the following year.

Spurgin McBride won five Class 1 state championships at Winona, including three in a row from 2012-14. The Wildcats reached 14 final fours and finished second four times, third twice, and fourth three times.

Winona's formula was a combination of solid fundamentals, a Junior Olympic program, a summer league, and an intense fitness program that included timed mile runs down a dirt road and back.

Spurgin McBride completed her fifth season as the Branson High School volleyball coach in 2024. In 2020, Branson won its first district championship since 1992 and reached the state quarterfinals.

Spurgin McBride's husband, Pete, played baseball at Three Rivers from 1991-93. Their son Trent helped Eminence win a state championship in 2018 and a national championship at Mission University in 2022.

Spurgin McBride was inducted to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2020, was named the National Federation Midwest Sectional Coach of the Year in 2002-03, the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association?s Coach of the Year five times, and was inducted to the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2017.