MOUNT ORAB, Ohio — Western Brown High School graduate Hunter McKinzie was recognized Tuesday afternoon as a winner of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Spirit of Sport Award.
"I think the award is cool that I was the first kid from Ohio to get it in a couple years and a kid out of many states to be picked for it," McKinzie said. "It makes me appreciative and humble."
Ohio High School Athletic Association executive director Doug Ute visited the Mount Orab school to present the award.
McKinzie overcame stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma to return to the football field then suffered a broken leg as a senior this past fall.
“Despite these obstacles, he still served as an influential, positive contributor to the Broncos’ football team,” the OHSAA said in a statement.
Western Brown athletic director Tim Cook said the school is very proud of McKinzie.
“He battled hard through his fight with cancer and made it back to being able to play his senior year in 2023 but had another terrible downfall when he broke his leg in game two of his senior year and ended up missing the rest of his career,” Cook said. “The NFHS Spirit of Sport award was very special to him after dealing with the illness and injury he had to battle through during high school.”
Western Brown football coach Nick Osborne said McKinzie is the definition of what the program is about at the school.
"Blue-collar guys who do not make excuses," Osborne said. "What Hunter has overcome is something amazing. Watching him fight each day and never complain about what he was going through. He was always asking how is the team doing. Being able to come back and play his senior year was a milestone and something we will never forget."
The NFHS developed the Spirit of Sport Award in 2008 as a way to recognize individuals who exemplify the ideals of the positive spirit of sport that represents the core mission of education-based athletes. Eight section winners and one national winner are selected each year.
McKinzie won the Section 2 award which is comprised of the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia.
"I found the strength from being in the football program and team before I was diagnosed and we always preached smacking adversity right back and getting back up," McKinzie said.
Student-athletes, coaches, administrators and other individuals associated with the school’s athletics program are all eligible for the honor, and the recipients must be affiliated with a high school that is a member of an NFHS-member state athletic association.
The award generally recognizes individuals who have overcome adversity or gone above and beyond their peers by demonstrating exemplary sportsmanship and/or citizenship and/or has exceeded normal expectations in assisting others within the school or community.
