Ten individuals who have made outstanding contributions to interscholastic athletics have been named recipients of the 2016 Distinguished Service Awards given by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).
Among them is Lewisburg native Hugh McReynolds, the long-time athletic director at Logan County High School who now heads the state association.
These men will be honored December 13 in Nashville, Tennessee, during the banquet at the 47th annual National Athletic Directors Conference conducted jointly by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the NIAAA.
The Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to individuals from within the NIAAA membership in recognition of their length of service, special accomplishments and contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state and national levels. Nominations are submitted by state athletic directors associations, screened by the NIAAA Awards Committee and selected by the NIAAA Board of Directors.
This year’s winners include John DiColo, CMAA, athletic director, Jefferson Township High School, Oak Ridge, N.J.; Bill Fitzgerald, CMAA, activities director, Fremont (Nebraska) High School; Mike Garvey, CMAA, director of athletics, Hackett Catholic Prep, Kalamazoo, Mich,; Tim Graham, CMAA, athletic director/assistant principal, Tumwater (Washington) High School; Mike Lunney, CAA, assistant executive director, Rhode Island Interscholastic League, Providence, Rhode Island; Hugh McReynolds, CAA, retired athletic director, Logan County High School, Russellville, Ky.; Todd Sampson, CMAA, assistant principal, Edward Little High School, Auburn, Maine; Pete Shambo, CMAA, athletic administrator, Penfield Central School District, Rochester, N.Y.; Greg Smith, CMAA, executive director, Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association, Monroe, Wisc.; and Lonnie Tillman, CAA, associate director, Mississippi High School Activities Association, Clinton, Miss.
Biographical sketches of this year’s award winners have been provided to the media. This is McReynolds:
Hugh McReynolds retired last year after an outstanding 29-year career as athletic director at Logan County High School in Russellville, Kentucky.
In his role as athletic director, McReynolds managed a 60-plus member athletic department that featured more than 600 student-athletes and 200-plus athletic events, as well as the school system’s combined middle school programs that covered six sports. In 2013, McReynolds’ school was named co-recipient of the NFHS National High School Spirit of Sport Award.
McReynolds, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Kentucky University, was responsible for adding numerous sports at Logan County, including cross country, swimming, volleyball, archery, soccer and bass fishing. He also guided the addition or renovation of numerous facilities at Logan County.
Currently serving as executive director of the Kentucky High School Athletic Directors Association (KHSADA), McReynolds was the organization’s president from 2012 to 2014 and served on the KHSADA Board of Directors from 2000 to 2012. McReynolds has been a member of the state athletic directors conference planning committee since 2010 and a state leadership/certification coordinator since 2002.
McReynolds also assisted the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) in a variety of ways. He hosted numerous KHSAA district and regional tournaments and was a presenter at the KHSAA Delegate Assembly several times.
McReynolds received the NIAAA State Award of Merit in 2007 and this past April, he received the Jim Watkins Award of Excellence from the KHSADA. Other honors include presenting at the 2014 Sports Turf Managers Association National Conference and receiving the NFHS/KHSAA Award of Excellence for Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity in 2014.
McReynolds served on the NIAAA’s fourth Strategic Planning Committee in 2015 and has been chair of the NIAAA Sports Turf Committee since 2009. He has completed 39 Leadership Training courses through the NIAAA and has served on the Leadership Training National Faculty since 2005.