HERMITAGE, Tenn. -- The A.F. Bridges Awards program was expanded 10 years ago to include awards for School System Administrator of the Year, Principal of the Year, Athletic Director of the Year, Female Coach of the Year, Male Coach of the Year, Official of the Year, and Contributor of the Year. The awards recognize again this year 63 individuals from across our state that represent what’s best in high school athletics. Recognition was made in the above mentioned categories in each of the nine athletic districts in our state.

Nominations were made by a Citizenship/Sportsmanship Committee in each athletic district and the final selection was made by a State Selection Committee.

Bernard Childress, Executive Director of the TSSAA stated, “Being recognized for one of these awards as a school or individual should be seen as one of the highest honors in high school athletics in our state. Those who receive the awards truly reflect what high school athletics should be about, and that’s good sportsmanship and good citizenship.”

These awards will be presented at the eight athletic district meetings held the week of November 9.

ATHLETIC DISTRICT 1
School System Administrator of the Year
Steve Dixon, Bristol City Schools
Principal of the Year
Jim Dykes, Volunteer High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Paul Pendleton, Tennessee High School
Female Coach of the Year
Anne Ricker, Chuckey-Doak High School
Male Coach of the Year
Jerry White, Hampton High School
Official of the Year
Don Lady, Bluff City
Contributor of the Year
Larry Harris, Kingsport

ATHLETIC DISTRICT 2
School System Administrator of the Year
V. L. Stonecipher, Anderson County Schools
Principal of the Year
Rick Walker, South-Doyle High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Clark Duncan, South-Doyle High School
Female Coach of the Year
Carmen Hines, Coalfield High School
Male Coach of the Year
David Moore, Farragut High School
Official of the Year
Larry Renfro, Alcoa
Contributor of the Year
Johnny "Goose" Lindsay, Kingsport

ATHLETIC DISTRICT 3
School System Administrator of the Year
Don Roberts - Meigs County Schools
Principal of the Year
Mark Bean, Ooltewah High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Joe Galloway, Lookout Valley High School
Female Coach of the Year
Anita Barker, Sequatchie County High School
Male Coach of the Year
Ronnie Davis, Polk County High School
Official of the Year
Leon Rash, Chattanooga
Contributor of the Year
Charles Smith, Dayton

ATHLETIC DISTRICT 4
School System Administrator of the Year
Dr. Dan Lawson, Tullahoma City Schools
Principal of the Year
Jimmy Maynard, Smith County High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Gary Miller, LaVergne High School
Female Coach of the Year
Deanna Teeter, Friendship Christian School
Male Coach of the Year
Randy King, Oakland High School
Official of the Year
Butch Patterson, McMinnville
Contributor of the Year
Ken Fountain, Watertown

ATHLETIC DISTRICT 5
School System Administrator of the Year
Richard McWhirter, Clarksvl-Montgomery Schools
Principal of the Year
Ken Willey, Donelson Christian Academy
Athletic Director of the Year
Clint Parnell, Goodpasture Christian School
Female Coach of the Year
Bettie Barkley, Donelson Christian Academy
Male Coach of the Year
Ted Young, Clarksville High School
Official of the Year
Rick Pearson, Mt. Juliet
Contributor of the Year
Harold Huggins, Nashville

ATHLETIC DISTRICT 6
School System Administrator of the Year
Ralph Ringstaff, Williamson County Schools
Principal of the Year
David Byrd, Wayne County High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Webb Williams, Mt. Pleasant High School
Female Coach of the Year
Stephanie Prewitt, Independence High School
Male Coach of the Year
Billy Mooney, Page High School
Official of the Year
David Mason, Brentwood
Contributor of the Year
Shaw Daniels, Mt. Pleasant

ATHLETIC DISTRICT 7
School System Administrator of the Year
Myles Wilson, Fayette County Schools
Principal of the Year
Scott Gatlin, Jackson Christian School
Athletic Director of the Year
Mike Poteete, Henry County High School
Female Coach of the Year
Mellanie Surratt, McNairy Central High School
Male Coach of the Year
Robert Craft, Trinity Christian Academy
Official of the Year
Bill Wheatley, Jackson
Contributor of the Year
Rick Taylor, Lexington

ATHLETIC DISTRICT 8
School System Administrator of the Year
Robert Galloway, Gibson County Schools
Principal of the Year
Robert Mitchell, Haywood County High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Jim Frazier, Haywood High School
Female Coach of the Year
Amy Beckley, Dyersburg High School
Male Coach of the Year
Derrick McCord, Dyer County High School
Official of the Year
Wayne McCrieght, Dresden
Contributor of the Year
Bob Parkins, Milan

ATHLETIC DISTRICT 9
School System Administrator of the Year
John Aitken, Shelby County Schools
Principal of the Year
Mike McIntyre, Germantown High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Bobby Alston, Memphis University School
Female Coach of the Year
Niki Bray, Memphis Central High School
Male Coach of the Year
Jesus Patino, White Station High School
Official of the Year
Jim Herbert, Memphis
Contributor of the Year
Harold Byrd, Bartlett

A.F. Bridges Divisional Awards and State Award of Excellence

The A.F. Bridges Divisional Awards are given to schools that have had no reported unsportsmanlike conduct incidents during the previous school year and have displayed an overall positive effort to teach, expect, and demand a positive atmosphere of sportsmanship at their particular contests.

The schools that received this prestigious award were nominated by local officials associations, other member schools, and the Tennessee Observers Program for Sports (TOPS).

Of the 27 divisional recipients, one school in each class will receive Tennessee’s top award for overall outstanding effort in its division. One of the three schools in each classification will be presented the A.F. Bridges State Award of Excellence shortly after the divisional awards are handed out. This is the highest award that can be bestowed upon a school to honor its overall efforts to promote citizenship and sportsmanship at school, and at athletic contests.

The A.F. Bridges Award is given in honor of the TSSAA’s first executive secretary. He served as executive secretary from 1946 until his retirement in 1972. Under his leadership, athletics in the state of Tennessee reached a level of excellence and competence that earned the respect of all people. Mr. Bridges was a person of high principles who displayed firmness and fairness, as well as the high ideals of ethics and integrity, as he and many other school people established the foundation of TSSAA across our state.

EAST TENNESSEE

CLASS A

Cloudland High School
Lookout Valley High School
Rockwood High School

CLASS AA

Alcoa High School
Grainger High School
Knoxville Catholic High School

CLASS AAA

Baylor School
Cherokee High School
Ooltewah High School

MIDDLE TENNESSEE

CLASS A

Cornersville High School
Hampshire High School
Santa Fe High School

CLASS AA

David Lipscomb High School
Harpeth Hall High School
Upperman High School

CLASS AAA

Father Ryan High School
Lincoln County High School
Whites Creek High School

WEST TENNESSEE

CLASS A

Bradford High School
First Assembly Christian School
Huntingdon High School

CLASS AA

Crockett County High School
Memphis University School
Milan High School

CLASS AAA

Germantown High School
Hardin County High School
Munford High School

(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)