FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2004


Steinbrenner, wrestling great Bono headline Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame’s 2004 induction class

GAINESVILLE – New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and wrestling great Christopher Bono head the list of eight individuals selected for induction this year into the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Joining Steinbrenner and Bono in the Class of 2004 are former FHSAA Associate Commissioner for Athletic Operations Ron Allen; former Titusville High School girls volleyball coach Laura Dixon; former Port St. Joe basketball coach Vernon Eppinette; Bradenton area contest official Mike Knowles; Gulliver Preparatory School founder Marian Krutulis; and former FHSAA Director of Field Services Charles Smith.

This is the 13th group to be inducted into the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame, formerly the FHSAA Hall of Fame. Founded during the 1990-91 school year, the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame keeps alive the tradition and spirit of high school athletics, and honors each year those persons who through distinguished achievement have excelled in one or more high school programs sponsored by the Association and its member schools. This year’s eight inductees bring to 83 the number of deserving individuals who have been enshrined in the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame. They include student-athletes, coaches, administrators, contest officials and other contributors, such as sports writers, who have raised the level of awareness of high school activities through their efforts, achievements and dedication. The 2004 Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Awards Banquet will be held June 10 at the Wyndham Westshore Hotel in Tampa.

Steinbrenner, 73, a resident of Tampa, is best known as the principal owner of the 26-time world champion New York Yankees. Over his 30-year residence in Florida, Steinbrenner has been a major contributor to Florida interscholastic athletics. His contributions include bringing the FHSAA Baseball Finals to Legends Field in Tampa, donating $200,000 to Hillsborough County to reestablish the middle school athletic program, and donating funds to help underprivileged youth with the cost of participation in high school athletics. Steinbrenner has served as the vice president of the U.S. Olympic Committee and is a member of the NCAA Foundation Board of Directors. He is the recipient of the 2002 USOC General Douglas MacArthur Award, the New Yorker of the Year Award, and the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame’s Gold Medal.

Bono, 30, was a three-time FHSAA wrestling champion for The Bolles School in Jacksonville. He is the third individual to be selected for induction in the student-athlete category, joining football legends Emmitt Smith and Danny Wuerffel. Bono posted an overall record of 181-12 throughout his varsity wrestling career and was the captain of the 1992 Class 2A state championship team. He also played football and baseball for Bolles. His success continued in college at Iowa State University, where he won the 1996 NCAA 150-pound title and was a three-time All-American. Now an assistant head coach at Iowa State, Bono is still active as a competitor, finishing as the runner-up in his weight class at the 2004 U.S. Senior Nationals to clinch a qualifying spot for the 2004 Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis in May. He is a two-time World Team Trials champion and was a 2002 U.S. World Team member.

• Ron Allen. Allen, 65, retired in 2003 as the FHSAA Associate Commissioner for Athletic Operations, a position he held for 10 years. Allen, a cross country and track & field athlete at the University of Florida from 1958 to 1961, served as head track & field coach at both Chamberlain and Robinson high schools in Tampa, and was the principal of Chamberlain from 1978 to 1983 and Gaither High School in Tampa from 1984 to 1993. Allen received the 2003 Honor, Courage and Commitment Award from the US Marines, a corporate partner of the FHSAA.

• Laura Dixon. Dixon, 58, was the head girls volleyball coach at Titusville High School for 25 years until her retirement in 1999. Under her tenure, the Terriers won state championships in 1981 and 1983, and were the runners-up in 1985. Dixon amassed eight district, five regional and three sectional championships, a 359-152 record, and a .700 winning percentage. She also won four district titles and one regional title as the head softball coach. Dixon is a member of the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and Titusville High School’s female athlete of the year award is named for her.

• Vernon Eppinette. Eppinette, 55, coached Port St. Joe High School to five state championships in boys basketball and one state title in boys track & field from 1990 to 2001. He was also the head track & field, basketball and cross country coach and athletic director at Clermont High School in the 1980s. Eppinette is a five-time Florida Basketball Coach of the Year, and has been a National High School Coaches Association National Coach of the Year finalist twice. He is a member of the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

• Mike Knowles. Knowles, 55, has served as a high school contest official for 31 years. He has officiated 16 basketball and five baseball state finals since 1988. He also officiated college basketball from 1977-1996 and college baseball from 1979 to 2002. Knowles has been the State Active Official of the Year in both sports, and was the Section 3 (Southeastern United States) Active Official of the Year in 2001. He also has experience as a head football coach at Satellite and Middleburg high schools, and now serves as the head girls golf coach at Manatee High School in Bradenton.

• Marian Krutulis. Krutulis, 80, is the director of Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami, which she founded in 1952. One of the first women to serve on the FHSAA Board of Directors, she was a major advocate for keeping public and private schools united under the organization’s umbrella. Krutulis is an active supporter of athletics, working with the Junior Orange Bowl, YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs of Miami. She also sponsored the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholarship Dinner with Bob Griese for eight years. Krutulis has been honored with distinguished service awards by the FHSAA, the Florida Athletic Coaches Association, the Kiwanis, and the YMCA.

• Charles Smith. Smith, 61, is a former FHSAA Director of Field Services (now known as Director of Athletics). A three-sport athlete at Cocoa High School from 1958 to 1961, he played for the 1960 Class A state championship basketball team. He went on to coach football, basketball and track & field, and was the assistant chair of the Brevard County Gender Equity/Title IX Committee. In his position at the FHSAA, Smith served as the supervisor of officials and was a member of the National Federation of High School Associations football rules committee. A longtime official, he received the National Federation of Interscholastic Officials Associations’ Distinguished Service Award in 1992.

Two separate committees comprised of active and retired administrators, coaches, officials and news media representatives evaluated the nominations of the eight individuals selected for induction to the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame this year. A seven-member screening committee first reviewed all nominations received and determined which nominees were viable candidates for induction into the Hall of Fame. The nominations of those candidates then were forwarded to a 16-member selection committee, which rated the nomination of each candidate to determine the candidates who would be inducted.

The Florida High School Athletic Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletic competition in Florida. It has a membership of more than 700 middle and senior high schools.

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