Bricktown Rotary, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Museum, and the Jim Thorpe Association are proud to host the 2009 Warren Spahn Award Gala. The formal gala will be held in January at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame & Jim Thorpe Museum. The evening will begin with a reception and tour of the recently opened Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame & Jim Thorpe Museum. Dinner and an awards ceremony will follow. Dress is black-tie optional. The Gala will be held January 26, 2010 in Oklahoma City.
Honored guests will include 2009 Warren Spahn Award winner CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees, the 2009 Bill Teegins Award winner, National Baseball Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins, and many current and former Major League Baseball players.
For information on attending or sponsoring this Big League event, please venture through our site.
Click here to view the Warren Spahn Gala video.
The Warren Spahn Awards Gala is a time to remember the accomplishments of 3 great men and to celebrate the accomplishments of professional athletes, professional sportscasters and student athletes and coaches. The Gala, January 17th at the Jim Thorpe Museum and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame located at 4040 North Lincoln Boulevard, is centered around the accomplishments of Warren Spahn. Spahn is still considered the greatest left handed pitcher ever in the Major Leagues and the Warren Spahn Award is given to the outstanding Left Handed Pitcher from the previous season. This event is black-tie optional and there will be a cash bar available the duration of the night.
Guthrie, known as the historic Victorian Capitol of Oklahoma and the site of the first state capital, housed the gala for the first 9 years taking place in the beautiful Masonic Temple. The awards gala is now moving from its previous home in Guthrie, OK to Oklahoma City, OK.
The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Museum - Guthrie was formerly known as the Oklahoma Sports Museum and still finds its home in this historic town. In 2008 the OSHOFM joined forces with the Jim Thorpe association. The Museum also partnered with Bricktown Rotary to present the Awards Gala and to bring them to Downtown Oklahoma City.
For Immediate Release: December 22, 2009
Contact: Mary Ann Osko, 405.618.7038 or maryann@oskocommunications.com
Jiminy Christmas! John Brooks wins Teegins Award for excellence in sportscasting
“Little Joe” Washington to present award at Warren Spahn Award Gala on January 26 in OKC
OKLAHOMA CITY — Organizers of the Warren Spahn Award Gala announced today that John Brooks, the former “Voice of the University of Oklahoma Sooners,” is the 2009 Bill Teegins Excellence in Sportscasting Award winner.
The Teegins Award is presented annually to an outstanding sportscaster with Oklahoma ties. While best known as the play-by-play announcer for OU football and basketball from 1976 to 1991, Brooks was also the voice of Oklahoma City Blazers hockey and University of Tulsa football and basketball.
Randy Cassimus, chair of the Teegins Award selection committee, said it will be a pleasure to present this year’s award to Brooks. "The Teegins family and the board are delighted with the selection of John Brooks as the 2009 winner. He is the living definition of 'iconic Oklahoma sports broadcaster' and a very deserving recipient."
Brooks has broadcast over 2,900 events and is a six-time recipient of the Oklahoma Sportscaster of the Year award. His "Oklahoma Classic Memories" garnered the Coca-Cola/Powerade National Sportscast of the Year in 2000. Brooks is well known for exclaiming “Jiminy Christmas” after touchdowns and outstanding plays made by the Sooners. He is also a children’s book author and is currently on a national tour promoting the most recent addition to his Bobby Bright children’s book series.
The Teegins Award is named in honor of the late play-by-play announcer for the Oklahoma State University men’s basketball team. Bill Teegins donated many hours to the Oklahoma sports community as a volunteer and was inducted posthumously into the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2002.
Brooks said he first met Teegins when he was a young sportscaster in Amarillo. “We were all blessed, although way, way too short of a time, with someone who fulfilled his dreams and went on to greatness. He was a gentlemen and a true pro, and I am honored to have my name linked with his and with the esteemed group of previous winners.”
Former All-American halfback Joe Washington will present the Teegins Award to Brooks. Washington was a key ingredient in the Sooners’ 1974 and 1975 national titles. During his career at OU, Washington finished as the all-time leading rusher in school history.
Washington will present the award to Brooks at the Warren Spahn Award Gala, hosted by Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Rotary Club and the Jim Thorpe Association. The gala will be held on January 26th at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame & Jim Thorpe Museum in Oklahoma City. Tickets are available now. Proceeds will benefit several local charities including Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Autism Walk, Red Ribbon Week, Christmas Connection and Alzheimer’s Walk.
Previous Teegins Award winners include Bob Carpenter, Joe Simpson, Bob Barry Sr., Bobby Murcer, Curt Gowdy and John Rooney.
In addition to the Teegins Award, the Warren Spahn Award will be presented at the gala to this year’s best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. The 2009 Spahn Award winner is CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees, who won the World Series Championship in November. Sabathia was named the 2009 American League Championship Series MVP.
For more information, visit OKCSpahnAwards.com. To purchase tickets, contact Bill Hickman at 405.605.2375 or hickman@hickmanlawgroup.com.
—End—
CC Sabathia wins battle for 2009 Warren Spahn Award
First tiebreaker in award history gives Sabathia his third consecutive win
OKLAHOMA CITY —Warren Spahn Award organizers announced today that CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees is the 2009 Spahn Award winner.
But it wasn’t an easy road to being named this year’s best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Sabathia had some stiff competition from Houston Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez. Based on award criteria including strikeouts, wins and ERA, Sabathia and Rodriguez were tied when the regular season ended.
Greg Spahn, son of the late Warren Spahn and member of the Spahn Award board, said it’s the first tie in the award’s 11-year history. The board used winning percentage as the tiebreaker and Sabathia came out on top.
“It was a battle right down to the very end,” Spahn said. “We’re thrilled with the caliber of left-handed pitchers in Major League Baseball today, and we congratulate CC and Wandy on their spectacular performances this year.”
This is Sabathia’s third consecutive Spahn Award. He’s closing in on Randy Johnson’s record of four consecutive wins from 1999 to 2002.
“I am honored to receive the 2009 Warren Spahn Award,” Sabathia said. “My wife Amber and I have had the privilege of being in Oklahoma City the last two years and we're always impressed by their first-class event and warm hospitality.”
The Spahn Award is named after Oklahoman and National Baseball Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, who holds the Major League Baseball record of 363 wins as a left-handed pitcher. The Spahn Award is presented at the Warren Spahn Award Gala, hosted by Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Rotary Club in January at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame & Jim Thorpe Museum.
“It’s important to note that CC is demonstrating the same consistency that my dad did throughout his career,” Spahn said. “Great pitchers are all about being able to do it year after year.”
Spahn Award Chairman Bill Hickman said it will be a pleasure to welcome Sabathia back to Oklahoma City for this year’s award presentation. “CC Sabathia is a world-class athlete and also an all-round class act. His gracious participation in the past two Spahn Award galas has raised Oklahoma City’s profile as a big league city and enriched even more the legacy of baseball legend Warren Spahn.”
Past Spahn Award winners include: CC Sabathia (2007–2009); Johan Santana (2004, 2006); Dontrelle Willis (2005); Andy Pettitte (2003); and Randy Johnson (1999–2002).
—End—