The Native Son Is Coming Home. Miami Springs Golden Hawks football team has a new head coach.

It was two decades ago that T.Y. Hilton lifted the Miami Springs football program
to great heights as a multi-purpose All-County athlete on both sides of the ball.
Now he will hope to do the same thing again. This time as the program’s head
coach.
Hilton was named the new head coach at Springs High on Friday, replacing Mario
Montoya who had been the team’s head coach since 2018.
“T.Y.’s appointment is especially meaningful because he is one of our own,” said
Miami Springs principal Nelson Gonzalez. “Once a Hawk, always a Hawk is what we
preach around here and T.Y. embodies the spirit and pride of this community. His
leadership will not only elevate our football program to new heights but, more
importantly inspire young people to become champions of character.”
Hilton was the ultimate unicorn when he played for the Golden Hawks from 2004
to 2007.
His senior year he virtually never came off the field. As a wide receiver, he
averaged 18.7 yards per catch with 785 receiving yards to go with 16 touchdowns. He lit
it up on special teams as a kick returner returning four kickoffs for touchdown and for
good measure had seven interceptions including two pick-sixes as the team’s free safety.
In a rarity, not only was he named to the Miami Herald’s First Team All County
team in football his senior year, Hilton was a two-sport star . He also led the basketball
team to a district championship and regional semifinal berth and also made First Team
All County in basketball the following spring.
When his career as a Golden Hawk was over, the Gazette did and extensive
feature on Hilton arguably declaring him the greatest athlete to ever come out of the high
school.
He graduated from Springs in 2008 where he famously chose FIU over West
Virginia when the night before signing day his infant son picked up an FIU cap eight
times in row instead of WVU on their bed.
He then arrived to come and play for first-year FIU head coach Mario Cristobal in
2008 and quickly made an impact earning
Hilton’s career took off from there. He finished his freshman season in 2008
ranked third in the nation in all-purpose yardage per game (180 yards per contest) and
was ultimately named the Sun Belt Conference’s Freshman Player of the Year.
He eventually was a third round draft choice of the Indianapolis Colts in the 2012
draft and wasted little time making an impact in the NFL. With fellow rookie Andrew
Luck throwing him passes, Hilton made the All-Rookie team in 2012 and went on to a
nine-year career with the Colts, making the Pro Bowl four different times.
His last season was with the Dallas Cowboys in 2022 before retiring. He moved
back to South Florida from Indianapolis last year and was coaching youth football at
Gwen Cherry Park and last summer was appropriately inducted into FIU’s Athletic Hall
of Fame. His turn at Miami Springs High School will come soon.