Former AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese Enters NFHS National High School Hall of Fame
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH — Retired Alabama High School Athletic Association Executive Director Steve Savarese took the stage Monday night at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and delivered one line that captured a lifetime of work in education-based athletics.
“Every time we connect with a student,” he told a crowd of more than 1,000, “our lifetime of experience becomes their experience of a lifetime.”
With that message, Savarese was enshrined into the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) National High School Hall of Fame on June 29, 2026. The induction ceremony closed out the 107th NFHS Summer Meeting and welcomed the 12-member Class of 2026. Savarese also spoke on behalf of the entire class.
A Milestone for Alabama High School Athletics
Savarese became the 13th individual with AHSAA ties to enter the NFHS Hall of Fame. He is also the fourth AHSAA Executive Director to earn the honor. That distinction puts Alabama in rare company. The AHSAA joins the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association as the only states with four former executive directors enshrined nationally.
Savarese led the AHSAA from 2007 to 2021. He stepped into the role after a 33-year football coaching career that produced 291 wins and two state championships. He coached in Kansas before building his name at four Alabama schools, including a state title at Daphne High School in 2001.
He followed three Hall of Fame administrators — Cliff Harper, Herman “Bubba” Scott, and Dan Washburn — who guided the association for the previous 59 years. Washburn, inducted in 2011, attended Monday night’s ceremony.
“Threads in a Fabric”
Speaking with his familiar southern twang, the New York native turned Alabama leader built his address around a single idea: everyone in education-based athletics is a thread in a larger fabric.
“We are all threads in a much larger fabric, the fabric of education-based athletics and activities,” he said. “Each of us represents a different color, a different texture, a different story. When woven together, we create something strong, lasting, and beautiful.”
He quoted legendary UCLA coach John Wooden — “Little things make big things happen” — then walked the crowd through each group of honorees and the thread that defined them.
- Athletes showed what happens when talent meets discipline.
- Coaches shaped lives “long after the scoreboard is forgotten.”
- Officials held “the fabric of integrity together — often unnoticed, always essential.”
- Fine arts educators taught students the thread of expression.
- State associations served as “the quiet guardians of education-based athletics.”
Savarese closed by borrowing a line from Muhammad Ali: “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” He added, “the people I am honored to represent have paid their rent many times over.”
Savarese’s Impact on the AHSAA
During his 14 years leading the AHSAA, Savarese pushed Alabama high school athletics forward on several fronts.
- Revenue Share initiative — returns funds to member schools when the association holds at least one year of working capital in reserve.
- Super 7 Football Championships — moved to Bryant-Denny Stadium and Jordan-Hare Stadium on a rotating basis in 2009, with Protective Stadium added in 2021.
- New programs — revived the Indoor Track Championship and launched bowling, esports, and girls flag football.
- Making a Difference Award — founded in 2011 to honor people who create positive impact in their schools and communities.
He credited much of his vision to his mentors, Scott and Washburn, who guided him as he moved from the sideline to the executive office.
National Leadership With the NFHS
Savarese’s influence reached well beyond Alabama. He served as chairman of the NFHS Network Board of Directors and helped drive its financial success for schools and state associations. Alabama was one of the first states to join the NFHS Network, and 365 AHSAA member schools now take part in the School Broadcast Program.
He also served on the NFHS Board of Directors and was president-elect in 2021. He chose to retire that year to spend more time with his family, keeping a promise he had made to his wife, children, and grandchildren.
The NFHS Hall of Fame Class of 2026
The 2026 class features five former athletes, three coaches, two officials, one administrator, and one fine arts educator. The group’s induction raised the Hall of Fame total to 552 members.
Athletes
- Joe Carter (Oklahoma) — four-sport star at Millwood High School who later hit the walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series.
- Alisha Glass Childress (Michigan) — set national volleyball records at Leland High School, won three NCAA titles at Penn State, and was the best setter at the 2016 Olympics.
- Jordan Larson (Nebraska) — four-time Olympian and 2020 Olympic MVP from Logan View High School.
- Krissy Wendell Pohl (Minnesota) — the most prolific scorer in high school girls ice hockey history, who sparked a statewide surge in participation.
- Patrick Willis (Tennessee) — Hollow Rock-Bruceton standout who became one of the NFL’s greatest linebackers.
Coaches
- Jan Barker (Texas) — built Amarillo High School into a volleyball dynasty with 10 state titles.
- David Gentry (North Carolina) — the winningest football coach in state history with 426 career wins.
- Flo Valdez (New Mexico/Texas) — multi-sport coach with a 44-year career and national service to the NFHS.
Officials
- Burney Jenkins (Kentucky) — officiated football, basketball, and baseball for 50 years.
- Mary Lou Thimas (Massachusetts) — 60 years of service in field hockey and girls lacrosse.
Fine Arts
- Craig Ihnen (Iowa) — led the Iowa High School Speech Association for 28 years.
All 13 AHSAA Representatives in the NFHS Hall of Fame
Thirteen individuals with AHSAA ties are now enshrined in the NFHS National High School Hall of Fame:
| Year | Inductee | Distinction |
| 2026 | Steve Savarese | Former AHSAA Executive Director (2007–2021); 291 coaching wins |
| 2017 | Buddy Anderson | Vestavia Hills coach; AHSAA’s all-time winningest with 345 wins |
| 2014 | Ozzie Newsome | Colbert County, Alabama, and NFL Hall of Fame tight end |
| 2013 | James Tate | St. Paul’s Episcopal track and cross-country coach |
| 2012 | Pat Sullivan | John Carroll Catholic star and Auburn Heisman winner |
| 2011 | Dan Washburn | Former AHSAA Executive Director |
| 2007 | Sam Short | Birmingham football official |
| 1999 | Glenn Daniel | Luverne coach; AHSAA’s first 300-game winner |
| 1992 | Wallace Guy O’Brien | Geraldine and Scottsboro basketball coach |
| 1990 | Herman “Bubba” Scott | Former AHSAA Executive Director; NFHS Award of Merit (1992) |
| 1989 | Bart Starr | Sidney Lanier, Alabama, and Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer |
| 1988 | Dan Gaylord | AHSAA football official |
| 1987 | Cliff Harper | AHSAA’s first full-time Executive Director |
A Lasting Legacy
Perhaps Savarese’s most important contribution was his steady defense of the AHSAA Constitution and By-Laws and the democratic process the association built in 1921. He called state associations the final thread in the fabric — “the backbone of education-based athletics and activities.”
“Our work is not on the sidelines or under the lights,” he said. “Our work is in the programs we build, the policies we steward, the opportunities we protect, and the young people we serve.”
For Steve Savarese, the Hall of Fame honor recognizes a career spent weaving those threads together — first as a coach, then as the leader of Alabama high school athletics, and now as a national voice for the games that teach young people how to succeed in life.
FEATURED IMAGE: AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon, right, presents Steve Savarese his HOF Medal during Mondaynight’s HOF induction ceremonies at the 107th NFHS Summer Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AHSAA PHOTO | David Holtsford)
