From Jesse Owens to Michael Irvin, the Miami Herald’s Athletic Awards had star power
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Star Power in South Florida
The Miami Herald has a rich tradition of honoring the best in South Florida high school sports.
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From its inception in 1957, the Miami Herald Athletic Awards have honored and hosted numerous future stars in the world of college, pro and international sports from Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.
The popularity of the event often drew major celebrities from the sports world as guest speakers.
A highlight was when one of those Dade or Broward alums who went on to achieve bigger and better things came home and made lasting memories for a new generation of athletes.
Here are some of the more memorable moments that stood out — including an infamous no-show that led to the end of the line for such appearances in one county.
THE MOST AWESOME SPEAKER EVER
In 1976, and many other years, the All-Dade ceremonies were held at the Gusman Cultural Center in downtown Miami. At this point, the ceremonies brought in a guest speaker and that year, the speaker was Jesse Owens.
In the 1936 Berlin Olympics Owens won four gold medals as Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler — who preached Aryan supremacy and considered anyone Black or of African heritage inferior — looked on disdainfully from the stands.
At the ’76 All-Dade banquet, Owens quietly took his seat in the front row of the Gusman auditorium. Suddenly, he was surrounded by kids. Quickly, there was no more room remaining near Owens so a line formed going from the first row of seats near the stage all the way back to the entrance.
Then a second line also formed.
Everybody, mainly the kids and athletes, wanted to say a word to Owens, shake his hand or get his autograph. The actual ceremony started late to enable that to happen.
Owens then got up and made his speech — a soft, sincere and humble offering.
And received a standing ovation.
THE PLAYMAKER SPEAKS FROM THE HEART
St. Thomas Aquinas alum and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin didn’t need any notes when he stood at the podium at the Broward County Convention Center in 1995 in front of nearly 700 athletes, coaches and parents.
“The Playmaker” spoke from the heart.
And Irvin, as he did throughout his playing career, rose to the occasion and delivered a speech that made the attendees rise to their feet.
Irvin spoke about how his father’s death after a battle with lung cancer profoundly affected him during his senior year in high school, and told the athletes: “What you do now has a ripple effect on your families, friends and future.”
“I was not a model citizen. I’d walk around saying, ‘It doesn’t matter. It’s my life.’ When you say, ‘It’s my life, let me live it,’ think about your family. Think about the people who love you. Just remember — it’s not your life. God put your parents here. Your parents put you here. Your life belongs to everybody that ever loved you and gave you help.”
Irvin said he took a drive around his former Fort Lauderdale neighborhood that morning and that all the memories came rushing back, giving him all the material he needed to speak to the kids.
Irvin later posed for photos with Aquinas award winners and his former coach George Smith, and spent time after the breakfast signing autographs for the athletes.
THE OTHER SIDE OF STEINBRENNER
The late George Steinbrenner, the former owner of the New York Yankees, was not known as the nicest of people. And it is true that many times he was extremely tough, gruff and straightforward when it came to running his ball club.
Nevertheless, he had a little-known soft spot — kids.
Steinbrenner flew into Miami to be the Herald’s guest speaker at an All-Dade ceremony in the early 1980s, once again at Gusman. A member of the Herald sports department picked Steinbrenner up at the airport and drove him to his hotel. At the ceremony he gave probably the most inspirational speech of any All-Dade ceremony in history, basically telling the youngsters in the audience that there was nothing that could stop them from reaching their dreams. That was his theme, but it does not do justice to the words as they were emitted. Steinbrenner’s words and heartfelt delivery were overwhelming.
With the ceremony over, Steinbrenner left and flew back to New York. He was supposed to receive a $5,000 speaking fee.
Three days later, a letter was delivered to the Herald sports editor. In it, Steinbrenner wrote that he was so impressed with the kids and athletes and what the Herald does to encourage them that the Herald should just forget about paying him the $5,000.
He also wrote a second letter to the Herald sports staffer who picked him up at the airport saying if he and his family were ever in New York, call him and he would get them tickets to a Yankees game. Two years later, the family was in New York and took a long shot and called Steinbrenner. He told them to go to the will call booth and five tickets for them would be there.
Probably nose-bleed seats?
No, they were Steinbrenner’s personal seats, front row on the third-base-line railing.
FORMER WINNER BACKS OUT
Former Tampa Bay Bucs and University of Florida standout Errict Rhett was the Herald’s Broward Athlete of the Year in 1989 after his stellar career at McArthur High School in Hollywood.
But seven years later, when he was invited to return to the All-Broward banquet as a guest speaker, Rhett ran in a different direction.
Rhett backed out from the engagement just days before after accepting an invitation from the National Football League to compete in the Run To Daylight contest for NFL running backs.
“Errict doesn’t feel he has gotten the exposure that other running backs like Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith have gotten,” said Drew Rosenhaus, Rhett’s agent at the time in a Miami Herald article from 1996. “He feels he is just as good as them. This gives him the chance to distinguish himself. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Rhett went on to play seven seasons in the NFL for the Bucs, Ravens and Browns and is a member of the UF Hall of Fame. Sanders and Smith have since both been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Sadly, this led to the Herald choosing not to continue inviting guest speakers to the event in Broward.
This story was originally published January 26, 2022 at 7:03 AM.
