Three ambassadors for sports in the Second Region were honored with the Rudy J. Ellis Distinguished Service Award at last week’s Kentucky Athletic Administrators Association banquet in Louisville.
Stacey Darnall, Donny Caver, and Jason Strickland were among the honorees statewide at the annual event.
Stacey Darnall
Stacey Darnall has been a head coach for baseball and an assistant coach for football, softball, and baseball for South Hopkins and Hopkins County Central.
Darnall was also on the coaching staff of Hopkins County Central’s lone boys’ basketball region championship team and district baseball championship team.
The Trigg County native is behind the mic these days calling Hopkins County Central sports on the radio. He will broadcast his 300th football game on the radio this fall.
Donny Caver
Donny Caver has been involved with Fort Campbell High School sports for 40 years. He played football for legendary coach Marshall Patterson and began keeping stats for the team out of high school.
He has been the statistician for the Fort Campbell basketball teams for 32 years and baseball for the past decade.
Caver also served as game analyst for Falcon football games on WHVO Radio during Fort Campbell’s three-year state championship run and in the years that followed.
Caver’s knowledge of Fort Campbell sports is unparalleled as is his professionalism and attention to detail.
Jason Strickland
Jason Strickland has been the public address voice for Trigg County basketball and football for 15 years and added baseball duties in recent years.
During the recent basketball season, Strickland reached the 500-game milestone at Trigg County behind the mic. He also does public speaking and emcee duties for other events in Trigg County.
In the announcement of the award, Darnall, Caver, and Strickland were recognized for their “outstanding contributions to high school athletics over the years and his service to athletic administrators, student-athletes, and community.”
The Dr. Rudy J. Ellis Distinguished Service Awards are presented to individuals, groups, or businesses outside the field of athletic administration in recognition of their service and support of high school athletics within their community and beyond.
The award is named for the late Dr. Rudy J. Ellis of Louisville who was a pioneer in sports medicine in Louisville and throughout the Commonwealth.
