The A.F. Bridges Awards program was expanded nine 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, Assistant 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.”
***Information concerning the A.F. Bridges Divisional Finalists follows the listing of the Athletic District Award winners.
All of these awards will be presented at the regional meetings held at the following sites (all times local):
Monday, November 3 at 1:00 p.m. – Jackson (University School of Jackson)
Wednesday, November 5 at 1:00 p.m. – Knoxville (Knoxville Central High School)
Thursday, November 6 at 10:00 a.m. – Nashville (Hunters Lane High School)
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 1
School System Administrator of the Year
Dallas Williams - Carter County Schools
Principal of the Year
Larry Bible - West Greene High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Doug Cooper - Unicoi County High School
Female Coach of the Year
Tracy Brooks - Cumberland Gap High School
Male Coach of the Year
Raymond Farmer-Morristown West High School
Official of the Year
Eddie Guthrie – Morristown
Contributor of the Year
Scott Niswonger – Greeneville
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 2
School System Administrator of the Year
Bob Thomas - Knox County Schools
Principal of the Year
Don Walden - Jellico High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Terri Bradshaw - Heritage High School
Female Coach of the Year
Wendy Romanowski-South Doyle High School
Male Coach of the Year
Gary Kreis - Coalfield High School
Official of the Year
John Cook - Lenore City
Contributor of the Year
Chip Ladd - Star Physical Therapy
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 3
School System Administrator of the Year
Pete Swafford - Sequatchie County Schools
Principal of the Year
Lee McDade - Lookout Valley High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Les Compton - Grace Baptist Academy
Female Coach of the Year
Rachel Moore - Cleveland High School
Male Coach of the Year
Bill McMahan - Baylor School
Official of the Year
Danny Gilbert - Chattanooga
Contributor of the Year
Toby McKenzie - Cleveland
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 4
School System Administrator of the Year
Harry Gill - Rutherford County Schools
Principal of the Year
Don Embry-Shelbyville Central High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Morris Rogers - Franklin County Schools
Female Coach of the Year
Walteen Parker - DeKalb County High School
Male Coach of the Year
John Olive - Tullahoma High School
Official of the Year
Kenny Pack - Tullahoma
Contributor of the Year
Richard Thomas - Lavergne
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 5
School System Administrator of the Year
Richard Anderson - Christ Presbyterian Academy
Principal of the Year
Art Mayernick - Davidson Academy
Athletic Director of the Year
Dennis Goodwin-Donelson Christian Academy
Female Coach of the Year
Katherine Bell - Pearl Cohn High School
Male Coach of the Year
David Tucker - Franklin Road Academy
Official of the Year
Leory Parks - Clarksville
Contributor of the Year
Jeff Hamblen - Middle TN Scoreboard
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 6
School System Administrator of the Year
Dan Hampton - Williamson County Schools
Principal of the Year
Kevin Keidel - Brentwood High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Spencer Mitchell - Cornersville High School
Female Coach of the Year
Jan Browne - Battle Ground Academy
Male Coach of the Year
Adrian Wilson - Cornersville High School
Official of the Year
Mike Northcutt - Tullahoma
Contributor of the Year
Terry Woodall - Harpeth
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 7
School System Administrator of the Year
Lynn Twyman - Huntingdon Special School District
Principal of the Year
Cecil Stroup - McNairy Central High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Terry Howell - McKenzie High School
Female Coach of the Year
Julie Carter - Liberty Technology School
Male Coach of the Year
Mike Mansfield - Huntingdon High School
Official of the Year
Mike Kimmons - Corinth
Contributor of the Year
Sports Orthopedic and Spine - Jackson
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 8
School System Administrator of the Year
John Sammons - Lauderdale County Schools
Principal of the Year
Peggy Dodds - Dyer County High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Jackie Vaughan - Greenfield High School
Female Coach of the Year
Tere Lumley - Peabody High School
Male Coach of the Year
Robin Jacobs - Brighton High School
Official of the Year
Dan Boykin - Union City
Contributor of the Year
Jim Cawley - Union City
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 9
School System Administrator of the Year
Wayne Weedon - Memphis City Schools
Principal of the Year
Greg McCullough-Memphis Central High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Stevenson Bratcher-George Washington Carver High School
Female Coach of the Year
Lynn Whitfield - Bartlett High School
Male Coach of the Year
Stanley Gatlin - Millington Central High School
Official of the Year
Larry Crum - Lakeland
Contributor of the Year
W. S. (Babe) Howard - Millington
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
Copper Basin High School
Hampton High School
Oakdale High School
CLASS AA
Boyd Buchanan High School
Claiborne High School
Polk County High School
CLASS AAA
David Crockett High School
Maryville High School
Rhea County High School
MIDDLE TENNESSEE
CLASS A
Hampshire High School
Perry County High School
Santa Fe High School
CLASS AA
Fairview High School
Lewis County High School
Macon County High School
CLASS AAA
Beech Senior High School
Franklin High School
Lawrence County High School
WEST TENNESSEE
CLASS A
Gleason High School
Manassas High School
Peabody High School
CLASS AA
Jackson South Side High School
St. Benedict at Auburndale
Westview High School
CLASS AAA
Germantown High School
Hardin County High School
Henry County High School