Shugarts, Brown Win Top Bryant-Jordan Awards
Tyler Shugarts of Cullman High School and Thomas Corley (T.C.) Brown of Lineville High School were the big winners at the 24th annual Bryant-Jordan Student Athlete Awards Banquet Monday night in Birmingham as 96 honorees were awarded more than $600,000 in scholarships.
Shugarts was named the state’s overall Scholar-Athlete Award winner while Brown was the state’s overall Achievement Award winner.
The program recognized 48 regional scholar-athlete winners, selected for their excellence in athletics and academics, and 48 achievement winners, chosen for the student-athlete's ability to overcome major obstacles during their high school careers.
The student athlete program is named in honor of the late coaches Paul "Bear" Bryant of Alabama and Ralph "Shug" Jordan of Auburn. The overall scholar athlete award is named for Larry D. Striplin Jr., who founded the scholarship program that annually recognizes the state’s outstanding senior student athletes.
The awards to the overall winner and the six class winners in each award category were presented at the banquet sponsored by the Bryant-Jordan Foundation in conjunction with the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the Alabama High School Athletic Association. All of the scholarships awarded may be used at the school of each recipient’s choice.
In both award categories, each of eight region winners per class received a $2,500 scholarship. The overall winner in each class received an additional $3,000 scholarship.
From that select group in each category came the overall winner, who received an additional $3,000 scholarship.
In addition to the individual awards, the school of each class winner will receive $2,000.
Scholar-Athlete Award
Shugarts, the Class 5A winner who plays football and baseball, has a 4.21 grade point average while successfully participating in both the Dual Enrollment and Advanced Placement program at his school.
Participating four years in each of his sports, he played defensive back in football and third base in baseball. He also was active in many extracurricular clubs and organizations as well as in community service and church programs.
Other scholar-athlete class winners were Joshua Tate Luker, Sweet Water High School, in Class 1A; Darby T. Rappuhn, Mars Hill Bible School, in Class 2A; Ben Howell, Gordo High School, in Class 3A; Cara Pettus, Rogers High School, in Class 4A; and Erin N. Brahm, Grissom High School, in Class 6A.
Achievement Award
Awards for achievement were presented for the 20th year to student athletes who by sheer determination have overcome obstacles to achieve a level of success in a sport.
Brown, the Class 2A achievement winner who plays basketball, and his brother have lived since an early age with their great grandmother, a lady who has sacrificed in several areas in order to raise the two boys.
While playing football for four years and heading toward graduation with an “A” average on the Advanced Diploma, he was working every possible hour as a mechanic at a local automobile shop and making every possible sacrifice in order to help his great grandmother with financial support.
Also, he has held leadership positions in school organizations and is active in his church and community. An assistant Sunday School Director and volunteer firefighter, he recently was voted by the Lineville student body (grades 7-12) as Mr. LHS.
The other Achievement Award class winners were Ashley J. Christian, Parrish High School, in Class 1A; Mark Patterson, Sylvania High School, in Class 3A; Samuel Kristopher Parker, Cherokee County High School, in Class 4A; Derek Chase Hovell, Citronelle High School, in Class 5A; and Tommy E. Curry, Daphne High School, in Class 6A.
Special Awards
Region winners receiving special awards were:
Tyler Shugarts, Cullman High School, $2,500 McCullough Medical Scholarship at the University of Alabama.
Chazidy Jones of Florence High School and Matthew Steele of Ashford High School, $2,500 Auburn Football Letterman Club Scholarships.
Cassandra Wilcox of Enterprise High School and Alexander O’Neal of Homewood High School, $3,000 renewable Alabama "A" Club Educational & Charitable Foundation Scholarships.
Mark Patterson of Sylvania High School, $2,500 Bubba Scott Coaching Scholarship.