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YMCA OF GREATER MONTGOMERY
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JIMMY HITCHCOCK AWARD

2023 HITCHCOCK AWARD

The YMCA of Greater Montgomery announces Joanna Joiner and Joshua Maye are recipients of the 2023 Jimmy Hitchcock Award. A total of 39 high school seniors were nominated at the 64th annual awards banquet held at Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church Tuesday night. Shaun Dion Hamilton, Assistant Linebackers Coach with the Detroit Lions was the featured speaker.

Joanna Joiner is a senior at LAMP whose primary sport is softball. In addition to her rigorous sports schedule, she has maintained a 3.9 GPA. She regularly attends First Freewill Church in Opelika, where her grandfather serves as assistant pastor. She’s fulfilled her childhood dream and accepted an offer to play softball at Huntingdon where she will be studying kinesiology and exercise therapy with the goal of becoming a physical therapist.

Joshua Maye is a senior at Carver High School whose primary sports are football, basketball, and track. He is a member at Beulah Baptist Church. Josh has a 4.3 GPA and has received scholarship offers from four colleges to play football, but he chose Morehouse because of their strong academics.

The Jimmy Hitchcock Committee honors young athletes for Christian

leadership. Students are nominated by their coaches and administrators for setting a Christian example of moral fitness in their athletic development.

The Jimmy Hitchcock Award is a program of the YMCA of Greater

Montgomery. Hitchcock was the first All-American football player at Auburn University. Hitchcock played 3rd base for the baseball team and later signed with the New York Yankees. He also started little league baseball in Montgomery.

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2024 JIMMY HITCHCOCK AWARD CEREMONY

FRAZIER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

MAY 7, 2024 6:30 P.M. - 8:00 P.M.

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EXPLORE NOMINEES

ADDITIONAL INFO

ABOUT THE AWARD

Shortly after the death of Jimmy Hitchcock, a few of his friends and admirers expressed to each other a mutual desire to be a party to some movement to perpetuate his memory in an appropriate way. These friends invited others to join them in forming a committee for this purpose and the Jimmy Hitchcock Memorial Award Program was born.

The objectives of the program are to recognize Christian Leadership in athletics and to encourage and inspire others to emulate the man whose memory is perpetuated by this award. In 1959, the need for this recognition was not nearly as great as it is today. The Hitchcock Award has grown stronger each year in expressing the true Christian principles of the YMCA. The current status of the Hitchcock Award is stronger than ever before and is held in high status in this community. Each year the respective coaches of each athletic squad of the Senior High Schools of Montgomery County nominate the athlete who has displayed the most outstanding qualities of Christian Leadership in that sport. These qualities are:

  • Strong Personal Character
  • Dependability
  • 100% Effort
  • Team Leadership
  • Church Leadership
  • School Activities Leadership
  • Scholastic Leadership

From this group of outstanding athletes, one female and one male are chosen to receive the coveted Jimmy Hitchcock Memorial Award.

ABOUT THE JIMMY HITCHCOCK COMMITTEE

The key to the success of the Hitchcock Award is volunteer leadership. Each of the 400+ members pays dues to be a part of this important program. Officers are elected and serve. In addition, the program is supported by the principals, headmasters and coaches of the schools in Montgomery. For more information call (334) 229-0033.

JIMMY HITCHCOCK, A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Jimmy was born in Inverness, Bullock County, Alabama, on June 28, 1911. At the age of 18, he entered the college he was to help make famous football wise; and as an Auburn freshman, he was under the tutelage of Montgomery’s “Bull” McFaden. He was Auburn’s first All-American on the football field. Ripley’s “Believe It or Not” column records that Hitchcock punted 232 times in his college career and never had one of his kicks blocked. He led the Southern Conference in scoring his Senior year, literally racing across the goal line for 71 points. He was also All-American in baseball at Auburn for his fine play there in the Spring of 1933. His baseball prowess eventually led to a big league career. He played short stop for the Boston Braves, and he also played in the Yankee system with Columbus of the American Association and with Chattanooga of the Southern Association. In between seasons, he acted as Assistant Football Coach to Head Coach Jack Meagher at his beloved Auburn.

Jimmy’s athletic career brought him many rewards, not the least of which was the hand of lovely Dorothy Shawkey, daughter of former Yankee pitcher and manager, Bob Shawkey. Dorothy and Jimmy were married in 1938. Two fine sons were born of this union, Jimmy, Jr., and Bobby Gordon. Jimmy’s interest in and devotion to youth athletics led to the introduction in Montgomery of Little League baseball. He served as Little League Commissioner in Montgomery from that time until his death on June 24, 1959.

2019 PHOTOS

View photos from last year's 2019 award banquet

2022 PHOTOS

View photos from 2022's award banquet

RENEW MEMBERSHIP ONLINE

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SELECTION COMMITTEE

Selection Committee Members: The following links provide information and forms for the interview process of award candidates.

SELECTION COMMITTEE: INFORMATION PACKET

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023 HONOREES!

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