As Lee Allen Smith said at this year's awards dinner, looking at the portraits of John F. Kennedy and Barry Switzer flanking the stage: "Only in America ... a President and a King!"
Dozens of former coaches and players joined a standing-room-only crowd to watch Switzer receive the 2009 John F. Kennedy Community Service Award for his 36 years of support of the Oklahoma Special Olympics. Current coach Bob Stoops and OU Athletic Director Joe Castiglione were also on hand to honor "The King."
"That's half my life," Switzer told KWTV's Dean Blevins moments before receiving the award.
Daily Oklahoman sports columnist John Rohde wrote a great piece about Switzer and the award. You can read it here. The story by AP sports writer Jeffrey Latzke appeared on CBS Sportsline, The Dallas Morning News and many other outlets.
“Coach Switzer was one of college football’s all-time great motivators. His ability to fire up players is legendary. His ability to lead and motivate college and professional athletes has resulted in three NCAA national championships, a Super Bowl championship and a place in the College Football Hall of Fame. Tonight we honor him for work he’s done that is every bit as impressive, if less publicized. We honor him for inspiring thousands of athletes participating in the Special Olympics in Oklahoma throughout the years. His tireless work as made the Special Olympics in Oklahoma an extraordinarily special event for thousands of special athletes and their families,” said former Oklahoma Gov. David Walters, a member of the Knights of Columbus and the evening's emcee.
“Barry Switzer is one of the most generous men that I have ever met. After so many extraordinary life accomplishments, his reaching out to help the disabled and disadvantaged is inspirational,” Walters continued.
The Knights of Columbus and the Special Olympics have been connected from the beginning. John F. Kennedy, America’s first and only Catholic president, was a member of the Knights of Columbus. After his death, his sister, Eunice, and her husband, Sargent Shriver, founded the Special Olympics in 1968 as a tribute to their slain brother and their mentally disabled sister, Rosemary.
The Knights of Columbus is the largest Catholic lay organization in the world with 1.7 million members. Through the years, the Knights of Columbus has given more than $40 million and countless volunteer hours to the Special Olympics.
The dinner benefited the Santa Fe Family Life Center in Oklahoma City, which is owned by the Knights of Columbus. The facility is open to the public and serves many diverse groups.
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