All Sports Association

P.O. Box 2591, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549

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Colonel Al Byrne Award

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 and non-electronic 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

Ray Chavez

2018 Colonel Al Byrne Award Winner – Ray Chavez

Ray Chavez, this year’s Col. Al Byrne Award recipient, has taught numerous young and teenage athletes skills, etiquette, sportsmanship, values, team work, and perseverance over his 35-plus years of coaching baseball and softball.

In his early baseball coaching years, he was coveted in local leagues as a coach who could win 90% of his games with any players on his roster any year. Thus, his success on the field translated to winning over a lot of parents who wanted more for their kids in terms of athletic advantages and good baseball coaching.

Coach Chavez believed in every player in his lineup. By having a role, that meant you were part of his team arsenal.

Coach Chavez raised three boys, two of which played college baseball. After his sons left to college, he was able to devote more time to coaching other local high school baseball athletes. His reputation in the local Niceville/FWB/Crestview area is well-known. In later years of coaching at the high school level he was known to mentor athletes with their mental thoughts, problems, slumps and lives, often providing sincere caring love to begin the rebuilding process.

He has coached several athletes who moved on to play in MLB, and numerous college baseball players (Juco through DI). If you ask him, he will tell you “he’s learned more from the players than he ever taught.”

 

 

Past Col. Al Byrne Award Winners

2017  Todd Gatlin
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

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Welcome To The All Sports Association

The All Sports Association is an organization whose membership is made up of dues paying volunteers whose primary mission is to provide a contribution of time to raise money for local youth oriented non-profit organizations with an emphasis on sports programs.

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