FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2000


Palm Beach Gardens, Belleview, Dunnellon, LaBelle, All Saints', Coral Springs Christian win sportsmanship awards

GAINESVILLE – Palm Beach Gardens, Belleview, Dunnellon, LaBelle, All Saints’ Academy, Coral Springs Christian, Bayonet Point Middle School and Gulf Middle School are announced as overall winners in the 2000 Florida Citrus FHSAA Fred E. Rozelle Sportsmanship Awards program, the FHSAA announced today.

Schools winning awards were: Class 6A, Palm Beach Gardens High School (Overall and Section Four); Class 5A, Belleview High School (Overall and Section Two), Rutherford High School (Springfield) (Section One) and Haines City High School (Section Three); Class 4A, Dunnellon High School (Overall and Section Two), Navarre High School (Section One), Fort Pierce Westwood High School (Section Three) and Lemon Bay High School (Englewood) (Section Four); Class 3A, LaBelle High School (Overall and Section Four), West Nassau High School (Callahan) (Section One), Interlachen High School (Section Two) and DeSoto County High School (Arcadia) (Section Three); Class 2A, All Saints’ Academy (Winter Haven) (Overall and Section Three) and Port St. Joe (Section One); Class A, Coral Springs Christian Academy (Overall and Section Four); Middle School/Junior High School Division (Co-Winners), Bayonet Point Middle School (New Port Richey) (Overall and Section Two) and Gulf Middle School (Overall and Section Two).

The Florida Citrus FHSAA Fred E. Rozelle Sportsmanship Awards Program was implemented in 1991 to honor those schools that exhibit exemplary sportsmanship during the regular season and FHSAA State Series. Each year, the award is presented to the school in each classification whose total athletic program best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship by its coaches, athletes and spectators. Member schools, officials associations and the news media may nominate schools for the award, which is named for FHSAA Commissioner Emeritus Fred E. Rozelle, who served as the Florida High School Activities Association’s chief executive officer from 1980 through 1991.

The program is sponsored by the Florida Department of Citrus, a government agency responsible for the promotion, research, and regulation of Florida fresh fruit and juice.

Of the 140 nominees received, the candidates considered were as follows (by classification):

• Class 6A (2 schools) – Lakeland, Palm Beach Gardens.
• Class 5A (8 schools) – Auburndale, Belleview, Boca Raton, Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens), Haines City, Poinciana (Kissimmee), Rutherford (Springfield), Wolfson (Jacksonville).
• Class 4A (6 schools) – Dunnellon, Fort Pierce Westwood, Lake Gibson (Lakeland), Lemon Bay (Englewood), Navarre, Springstead (Spring Hill).
• Class 3A (8 schools) – Crescent City, DeSoto County (Arcadia), Frostproof, Interlachen, LaBelle, Melbourne Central Catholic, Washington (Miami), West Nassau (Callahan).
• Class 2A (9 schools) – All Saints’ Academy (Winter Haven), Altha, Bethelem, Fort Lauderdale Christian, Fort Meade, Palmer Trinity (Miami), Ponce de Leon, Port St. Joe, Wewahitchka.
• Class A (2 schools) – Coral Springs Christian Academy, Poplar Springs (Graceville).
• Middle School/Junior High (2 schools) – Bayonet Point Middle (New Port Richey), Gulf Middle School (New Port Richey).

The winners in each classification will be honored at the 2000 FHSAA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Awards Banquet to be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 15, at the Wyndham Westshore Hotel in Tampa. Tickets to the banquet are $25.00 and must be ordered in advance by contacting FHSAA Assistant Director of Athletics Gary Pigott in the FHSAA Office at (352) 372-9551 ext. 260 by June 8. Tickets will not be available for purchase at the door.

The Florida High School Activities Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletic competition in Florida. It has a membership of 615 middle, junior and senior high schools.

Contact:
Jack Watford
Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 170
jwatford@fhsaa.org