The Colonel Al Byrne Award recognizes local individuals who share the late Colonel’s belief that all youth should be provided the facilities and adult leadership to experience athletic training and competitive individual and/or team sports. They also believe, as the Colonel did, that those youth that participate will learn skills and obtain values that will help them succeed in their later life endeavors. The award recipient has also demonstrated a commitment to these beliefs by sharing his or her time, talents and, in many cases, personal resources with no recognition required or desired. The award is voted on by the past presidents of the association and is a tightly held secret until the winner is revealed the night of the annual All Sports Association Awards Dinner each February.
Colonel Al Byrne Award Nomination Form (click here for form)
Please submit nominations to: Rube Manasco (phone 850-420-7624), Col. Al Byrne Award Chairman, reubman@cox.net, or mail to: All Sports Association, P.O. Box 2591, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549
2017 Colonel Al Byrne Award Winner – Todd Gatlin
For the last 43 years, the Col. Al Byrne Award has been presented to local individuals who have embodied the founder of the All Sports Association’s belief that it is our purpose to make a difference with the youth of our community. The award has been called the biggest honor in the lives of many of those who have received it, and voted on by only the past presidents of the All Sports Association, it is the most honored coveted privilege that is given to an All Sports Past President. Voting for this award is not something that is taken lightly.
The Shriner’s motto, “No Man Stands So Tall As When He Stoops To Help A Child” comes to mind when describing this year’s Col. Al Byrne Award Recipient, as he has helped many.
Col. Al Byrne himself believed that all youth should be provided the facilities and adult leadership to experience athletic training in competitive individual or team sports. No child should be exempt from having a chance.
Our recipient has provided that leadership with the 23 years of serving our area’s youth, many of which were spent as the head football coach for the City of Fort Walton Beach’s Gators, winning 10 city championships along the way.
And when he saw the need for facilities, in that many of the kids had trouble with transportation to practice to the city fields, he took it upon him self to start raising funds, getting in kind donations, and do what was needed to build their own regulation size football field a the Eleanor Johnson Youth center. He led the building of their own “Field of Dreams.”
Yes, he’s provided the youth of our area, many of them from less than perfect home and families, the coaching, the facilities and the mentoring that they need. But, but most of all, he’s provided them with HOPE. Hope that they too can be successful in life, and that if they work hard and dream big dreams, that they can achieve them.
In 2014, he was inducted into the Choctawhatchee High School Hall of Fame for not only what he did as an athlete, but more so for what he has done and continues to do in giving back to the area’s youth as a community servant.
On February 10, 2017 at the 48th All Sports Awards Banquet, the 2017 Col. Al Byrne Award was awarded to Todd Gatlin standing ovation.
Past Col. Al Byrne Award Winners
2016 Sherman Moon
2015 John Watts
2014 Brian and Kathy Haugen
2013 Bill Shirah
2012 Rev. James T. Ross
2011 Ralph Duncan
2010 Fred Carley
2009 Bob Lynn
2008 Tom Brassell, Don Pattison
2007 Rube Manasco
2006 Sam Brunson
2005 Paul Martin
2004 James C. “Jimmy” Campbell
2003 Mary Jane Ross
2002 Huburt “Rocky” Bates
2001 Bull Cochran
2000 James Campbell
1999 Bruce Ravan
1998 Charles Morgan, John Shortall
1997 Judge Alfred Ben Gordon, Jr., Kathleen A Ravan
1996 Ralph Frangioni
1995 Al Beedie
1994 Hiram Cook
1993 Leven Lord
1992 Bill Roberts, Jr., Pud Hutcheson, Robert Taylor
1991 Ray Deal, George Palmer
1990 Buddy O’Neal, H.A. Bruner, Jay Farris, Arthur Mikel
1989 Julius Rice, M.L. Hayden
1988 Michael Woodham
1987 Louis Woodham, H.P. Pat Campbell, Bill Preston, Sr., Gene Thomas
1986 Grady Smith
1985 Dr. Eddie Zant
1984 Ron Balicki
1983 O.R. Bailey
1982 Joe Etheridge
1981 Houston Harrison
1980 Jerry Brigante
1979 Rev. Talmadge Smith
1978 Buddy Elliott
1977 Dr. Jerry Hollingsworth
1976 Bettye Campbell
1975 Hal Wyatt
1974 Buck Smith