HUNTSVILLE – Eleven coaches in the Alabama High School Athletic Association with a grand total 275 years of coaching experience were honored Thursday at the All-Star Sports Week Championship Coaches Awards Luncheon here at the Von Braun Center.
Each coach received Meritorous Service Awards for their longtime contributions. Leading the was was Chuck Furlow, the athletic director of the Auburn City Schools, who has 39 years experience as a high school coach and administrator. Others recognized were Danny Kimble of Gadsden City (30 years), Mike Battles of Handley (29), Keith Powell of McGill-Toolen (28), Tim Bethea of Montgomery Academy (24), Anthony Harris of Selma (23), Bobby Parrish of Williamson (21), Ann Schilling of Bayside Academy (21), Jeffrey Brett of Gulf Shores (20), Kevin Creekmore of Brooks (20) and Mark Britton of Cullman (20).
Coaches who led their teams to state championships in the 2007-08 school season were also recognized as well as All-Star coaches at this year’s 2008 All-Star Sports Week. The luncheon and All-Star Sports Week are functions of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association, which operates within the AHSAA.
Several special scholarships and school grants were also awarded at the luncheon. Ten schools were recipients of $2,500 grants provided by the Alabama Sports Foundation in honor of renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lawrence Lemak of Birmingham. Dr. Lemak, a member of the AHSAA Medical Advisory Committee and the founder of the Alabama Sports Foundation, and Gene Hallman of the ASF presented the awards.
Schools applied for the grants, which are based on need, and were selected by a special committee. Receiving the grants were Aliceville, Glencoe, Hackleburg, Hamilton, Hazlewood, Isabella, Lamar County, Lynn, Mount Hope and Sidney Lanier high schools.
Ten high school seniors, all children of high school coaches or administrators in the state, also received special scholarships presented by the AHSADCA.
Named recipients of the AHSADCA Coaches Children Scholarships were: Tyler Ebert, Fairhope; Aaron Kyle Jacobs, Kinston; Lauren Paige Robinson, Benjamin Russell; Justin Hill, Shades Mountain Christian; John Christopher Metcalf, Clay-Chalkville; Charlie Smith, Springville; Kayla Carden, Addison; Chasidy Tucker, Hubbertville; Riley Adcock, Decatur; and Colton Turner, Cullman.
Gena Morris of Spain Park was named Athletic Director of the Year and Jere Adcock of Decatur received the Past President’s Award. Incoming AHSADCA president Denise Ainsworth of Alabama Christian in Montgomery becomes the first female president in the history of the coaches group.
Among the state championship coaches honored were 12 selected by the AHSADCA as National Federation of State High School Associations’ state coaches of the year in their respective sports.
Those included:
Football: Bill Clark, Prattville
Boys Basketball: Jerome Sanders, J.F. Shields
Baseball: Danny Powell, Leroy
Boys Soccer: Matthew Holmes, Randolph School
Boys Cross Country: Jim Tate, St. Paul’s
Boys Golf: Timothy Bethea, Montgomery Academy
Track and Field: Randall Taylor, Guntersville
Volleyball: Janie Wiggins, Kinston
Softball: Tony Scarbrough, Baker
Girls Soccer: Brigid Littleton, Vestavia Hills
Girls Cross Country: Claborn Campbell, Cold Springs
Girls Golf: Beverly Davis, St. Paul’s