Dave and Kelly Tines have served as coach and team mom for football, baseball, lacrosse and basketball teams and worked with students involved in Scouts. In 2012, they started the West is Best Scholarship Fund with the hope that all interested students in the SM West area would be able to participate in afterschool activities, regardless of financial status.  Since its inception, 775 scholarships totaling over $72,000 have been awarded as well as outreach programs to assist SM West families with sporting and Scout equipment, reduced price physicals and the Vikingpalooza Family Fun Fest.

Sonic's Briley Family has been selected for this year's Making a Difference Award. Through the family's support of multiple youth sports organizations over the years, including 3 & 2 Baseball, Midwest Sports and GABL, as well as various individual sports teams, they have definitely made a difference in the lives of youth throughout the metro KC area. Other organizations they have supported in the past have been Lakemary, Heads up, American Cancer Society, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, No One Fights Alone, Kansas Explosion and Bishop Miege Basketball Camps. The Briley Sonic Group has a board of directors comprised of Lyle, Leon, Bart, Steve, Bruce Briley, and Duane Beddo.

2017 Recipient - Jeff Briley

2016 Recipient-Lane Green

Lane Green received the 2016 "Making a Difference" Award. Lane has served as athletic director at SM East High School, Olathe North High School, Olathe School District and currently is Director of Athletics and Activities and Director of School Administration in the Blue Valley School District. He serves on boards for the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, Kansas Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and has been a Champions of Character program presenter for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics since 2009.

All-Time Honorees

2004 - Charles Shrewsbury

Charlie Shrewsbury began coaching youth basketball in the late 1950’s and started to coach in GABL shortly after it was formed in 1974. He has also served GABL as a grade director and a member of the Board of Directors. He has also volunteered with the Football and Cheerleading Club of Johnson County (FCCJC), the 3&2 Baseball Club of Johnson County and the Boy Scouts of America.

2005 - Dick Jenkins

Dick Jenkins has been a leader in several organizations that serve youth. He was involved with GABL for more than 20 years as a referee, coach, area director and board member. He was an officer and board member of the Downtown Optimist Club of Kansas City. Dick also was active in the 3&2 Baseball Club of Johnson County for 14 years. He is a past president of the club and was instrumental in the development of the West Complex. 

2006 - Warren McCamish

Warren McCamish served as commissioner of GABL from 1994-2000 and is considered the “Father of the Modern-Day GABL.” His leadership was instrumental in laying the foundation for GABL to be transformed from a winter program of 2,300 boys to a year-round, multi-faceted youth basketball program that serves 4,500 boys and girls annually. Warren coached in GABL for over 10 years and served as a grade director and member of the Board of Directors in 1993. He was a member of the inaugural class of the GABL Court of Honor that was inducted as part of GABL’s 30th Anniversary ceremony in 2004.

2007 - Mark Jorgenson

Mark Jorgenson was a member of the GABL Board of Directors from 2000-06, chaired the Foundation Committee in 2006 and was involved with the GABL Golf Classic for several years. He coached both boys and girls basketball for more than 15 years. An Eagle Scout, Mark has served on the Executive Board of the Heart of America Council of the Boy Scouts of America and chaired the Finance Committee. He also chaired the Park University Board of Visitors and has been active in fundraising for the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation.

2008 - Larry Pfeiffer

Larry Pfeiffer began coaching in GABL in 1987. Soon thereafter, he was asked to join the Board of Directors, which began a tenure of 16 years of service-the longest of any board member. Larry held two key leadership positions on the board beginning in 1991. His first position from 1991-2000 was treasurer and then later the position was expanded to secretary/treasurer. In 2000, he assumed the position of commissioner (chairman) until his retirement in 2007.

2009 - Rusty Newman

Rusty Newman has served the youth of Johnson County since the early 1970’s as a teacher, coach and school administrator.··Rusty's teams competed in the state championships six times and won the title in 1984 when he was the baseball coach at Shawnee Mission East. He was the Coach of the Year in 1984. He was named Athletic Director of the Year in 1993 while at Blue Valley North High School. In 1996, Rusty became the director of student services, athletics and facilities for the Shawnee Mission School District.

 



2010 - Fred Logan

Fred Logan has been a board member, often holding leadership roles, of organizations related to youth basketball, the arts in Kansas City, Johnson County parks, the Johnson County Library, the Johnson County Community College Foundation and the Heart of America Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He coached in GABL for 11 years and was a member of the board of directors for 10 years. He also served as a grade director and was chair of the Sportsmanship Committee. He was inducted into the GABL Court of Honor in 2008. He is a charter member of the Shawnee Mission School District Committee for Excellence. He was named Johnson Countian of the Year in 2008.




2011 - Patti Phillips

Patti Phillips served as the executive director of the Women’s Intersport Network for Kansas City (WIN for KC) from 1999 to 2010. In keeping with the mission of providing female role models for girls, WIN for KC activities included instructional clinics and reading challenges offered in conjunction with women’s collegiate and professional sporting events held in Kansas City. Camp WIN, a week-long girls sports camp that empowers girls by introducing them to a variety of sports and fitness activities, became an annual sell-out  and grew to two sessions. Under Patti’s leadership the annual WIN for KC Luncheon, which celebrates National Girls and Women in Sports Day, became the largest celebration of its kind in the country. She continues to advocate for girls and women in sport as chief executive officer of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA).




2012 - Jim Gurley

Jim Gurley was an athlete, teacher, coach and benefactor to many young athletes. Jim became a physical education teacher at the elementary school level with the Kansas City School District.  He coached the freshman football team at Southeast High  School to an undefeated season. He became a faculty member at Southeast and coached the junior varsity basketball team. Jim decided to leave teaching to go into business with his brother at Frontier Bag, Inc., a plastic bag company. He continued to coach youth sports and was a coach in GABL.In addition to coaching, Jim sponsored many basketball and baseball teams.  He also volunteered with Ozanam and administered the Bell League (basketball). The Gurley family continues Jim’s good works  through the Jim Gurley Memorial Fund.

2013 - Michael Meadors

Michael Meadors has been the Executive Director of  the Johnson County Parks and Recreation District since 2001. He has worked in parks and recreation for over 32 years. Under his leadership, JCPRD has acquired more than 4,000 acres of new parkland and building or improvement of several major facilities, including Mid-America Sports Complex and Okun Fieldhouse, and the construction of TimberRidge Adventure Center and New Century Fieldhouse. For his service, Michael has been awarded the Distinguished Fellow Award from  the Kansas Recreation and Park Association in 2012 as well as the Distinguished Professional Award in 1995. 

2015 - Bill Nicks

Bill Nicks is being awarded the “Making a Difference” Award. This award is given to an individual who has made a positive difference in the lives of youth, serves the community in a positive manner and promotes the values of athletic participation.  Bill served as the City of Lenexa's first Parks and Recreation Director from 1978 to 2008.   He currently works as the Director of Events for the American Royal and also officiates youth basketball.  He has officiated for over 20 years in GABL and CYO.  Bill also currently performs first-person reenactments of four famous historical people -- Dwight Eisenhower, Wilbur Wright, Octave Chanute and Dr. James Naismith.  He also served as chairman of the Lenexa Convention and Visitors Bureau, on the Board of the Kansas Recreation and Park Association and on the Local Organizing Committee for the NAIA Men's National Basketball Tournament.