The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) announced one National winner and eight Section winners for the 2014 NFHS Spirit of Sport Award on March 11, 2014.
The Illinois High School Association’s (IHSA) nominee, Sacred Heart-Griffin High School in Springfield, was named as the Section 4 winner. Section 4 includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Sacred Heart-Griffin was chosen as the IHSA’s nominee following the school’s actions toward Washington High School in Washington, Illinois after the town was decimated by a tornado in the days leading up to an IHSA Semifinal Playoff Football game between the two schools. The NFHS will produce a retrospective video highlighting Sacred Heart-Griffin’s actions that will debut at the NFHS Summer Meeting in Boston in June.
“This story encompasses what high school sports are really about,” said IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman. “The administration, coaches and parents at Sacred Heart-Griffin have said since day one that they ‘didn’t do anything out of the ordinary’ in their actions toward Washington. The truth is, their actions were extraordinary, as they helped a community in need, while providing a transcendent life lesson for their students. We are proud to have them represent the IHSA and high school sports as a whole.”
For more on Sacred Heart-Griffin High School’s nomination by the IHSA,
click here.