Retiring volleyball coach leaving students with lasting legacy

SANTA FE, TX (KTRK) -- For 40 years, Anna Marie Milligan has been coaching Santa Fe High School's volleyball team.

"They keep me young at heart," Milligan said. "They keep me on my toes."

Tuesday night is Coach Milligan's final game. It's also a final lesson in teamwork, the kind that's much bigger than the volleyball court.

"I had a volleyball player, Dana Marabella, who passed away in 1999 due to cancer, so we just felt like it was an opportunity for our kids to give back to the community," she explained.

For the past eight years, the team has been raising money for the Snowdrop Foundation, a charity for childhood cancer patients.

For Coach Milligan's final game, the students can proudly say they've hit their goal of $100,000.

"She teaches us a lot," said volleyball player Kira Brown. "Not just about volleyball, but things that we can carry through life."

"I might be retiring, but I'm definitely not walking away from Santa Fe, definitely not," said Milligan. "They've been too good to me."