For the 19th consecutive year, The A.F. Bridges Awards program includes 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 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 and member schools 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.”
Monday, November 5 – Hardin Valley Academy, 1 p.m. ET
Wednesday, November 7 – University School of Jackson, 10:00 a.m. CT
Thursday, November 8 – Hillwood High School, 10:00 a.m. CT
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 1
School System Administrator of the Year
Dr. Gary Lilly, Bristol Tennessee City Schools
Principal of the Year
Kristy Wallen, Seymour High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Danny Good, Daniel Boone High School
Female Coach of the Year
Carla Loyd Weems, David Crockett High School
Male Coach of the Year
Ned Smith, Hampton High School
Official of the Year
Brent Warner, Tri-Cities Basketball Association
Contributor of the Year
Joey Messick, Krispy Kreme
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 2
School System Administrator of the Year
Jason Vance, Loudon County Schools
Principal of the Year
Ben Downs, Anderson County High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Doug Armstrong, McMinn Central High School
Female Coach of the Year
Carmen Hochevar, Concord Christian School
Male Coach of the Year
Greg Ryan, Greenback High School
Official of the Year
Randy Chappel, TN Valley Soccer Association
Contributor of the Year
Mickey Brown, KOC
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 3
School System Administrator of the Year
Jennifer Terry, Bledsoe County Schools
Principal of the Year
Tammy Helton, East Ridge High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Steve Trussler, Grundy County High School
Female Coach of the Year
Kelly Somerville, Sequatchie County High School
Male Coach of the Year
Jason Fitzgerald, Meigs County High School
Official of the Year
Craig Phillips, Athens Football Association
Contributor of the Year
Daniel Black, Medical Doctor Rhea County and Sale Creek
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 4
School System Administrator of the Year
Jerry Boyd, Putnam County Schools
Principal of the Year
Garth Garris, Lincoln County High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Greg Wyant, Siegel High School
Female Coach of the Year
Brooke Mayo, Stewarts Creek High School
Male Coach of the Year
Jeff Mitchell, The Webb School
Official of the Year
Jim Ward, North/Central Association
Contributor of the Year
Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 5
School System Administrator of the Year
Chris Causey, Robertson County Schools
Principal of the Year
Schanda Doughty, Rossview High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Shannon Cummings, Clarksville High School
Female Coach of the Year
Kim Snyder, White House Heritage High School
Male Coach of the Year
Anthony Crabtree, Beech High School
Official of the Year
Jay Kritsch, North Middle Football Association
Contributor of the Year
Doug Gold, Wilson Bank and Trust
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 6
School System Administrator of the Year
Marlon Davis, Wayne County Schools
Principal of the Year
Kevin Keidel, Brentwood High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Ricky Jones, Fairview High School
Female Coach of the Year
Sheila Gaertner, Sycamore High School
Male Coach of the Year
Greg Tipps, Loretto High School
Official of the Year
Wayne McMeans, MTBOA
Contributor of the Year
WQSV, Ashland City
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 7
School System Administrator of the Year
Steve Wilkerson, Lexington Schools
Principal of the Year
Courtney Burnette, Fayette Academy
Athletic Director of the Year
Joe Norval, Hollow Rock-Bruceton
Female Coach of the Year
Jennifer Channell, Hardin County High School
Male Coach of the Year
Brent McNeal, South Side High School
Official of the Year
Jack Weaver, South West Football Association
Contributor of the Year
Ricky Winningham, Adamsville High School
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 8
School System Administrator of the Year
Eddie Pruett, Gibson County
Principal of the Year
Dr. Courtney Fee, Munford High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Brian Crowson, Brighton High School
Female Coach of the Year
Katrisha Glass, Covington High School
Male Coach of the Year
Willie Trevathan, Greenfield High School
Official of the Year
Tom Moore, Milan
Contributor of the Year
Dr. Buffy Cook, Covington
ATHLETIC DISTRICT 9
School System Administrator of the Year
Jeff Jones, Collierville Schools
Principal of the Year
Chris Duncan, Arlington High School
Athletic Director of the Year
Letitia Hall James, Whitehaven High School
Female Coach of the Year
Alisa G. Seymour, Southwind High School
Male Coach of the Year
William Smith, Hamilton High School
Official of the Year
Felicia Davis, MSBOA
Contributor of the Year
Ron King, TSSAA State Track
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 and other member schools.
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
Grace Baptist Academy
Harriman High School
Oneida High Schoo
CLASS AA
Grainger High School
Meigs County High School
Scott High School
CLASS AAA
David Crockett High School
Seymour High School
Soddy-Daisy High School
Middle Tennessee
CLASS A
Collinwood High School
Culleoka High School
Loretto High School
CLASS AA
Cannon County High School
Cheatham County Central H.S.
Stewart County High School
CLASS AAA
Montgomery Central High School
Smyrna High School
Warren County High School
West Tennessee
CLASS A
Bradford High School
Clarksburg High School
Lake County High School
CLASS AA
Craigmont High School
Hutchison School
Ripley High School
CLASS AAA
Arlington High School
Bartlett High School
White Station High School
