John Stallworth Award Winners Named
MADISON- The John Stallworth Foundation recently presented its fourth annual John Stallworth Awards to two student-athletes and a current high school coach.
Al Rauls, the current softball head coach at Buckhorn High and former coach at Bob Jones High, along with Sparkman softball standout Taylor Davis and Lee High football star Malik Langham were honored at the celebrity-filled festivities as part of the 16th annual John Stallworth Foundation Golf Tournament.
The award is presented by the John Stallworth Foundation in way of scholarship assistance to deserving students and a donation to the coach’s program.
“It came as a pleasant surprise and I’m tickled to death to be so honored by the John Stallworth Foundation,” said Rauls of his winning the award. “To receive this award in behalf of all those people who have been part of my career is humbling.”
“I’m shocked I won and didn’t know I was even in the running for the award,” said Davis.
The recent senior at Sparkman was a three-time All-State selection and signed a full athletic scholarship to Western Kentucky. Davis was born with Erb’s Palsy, a muscle condition that requires her to catch and throw with the same hand. She won the Sparkman Cornelius A. Martin Award, is a State Bryant-Jordan scholar, a leader in the Sparkman’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes program and plans to major in pre-med in college.
Rauls won the 2017 state softball title at Buckhorn and also won the state baseball title at New Hope High in 1992. Winner of close to 750 games as a head coach, the 62-year old was enshrined in both the Alabama High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame and the Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame earlier this year. He coached the Bob Jones Patriots baseball team from 2002-2005.
Stallworth, who graced the fields of the National Football League for 14 seasons, winner of four Super Bowls and enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Rauls have been friends for years and both have wives from nearby Triana and once worked together as school teachers.
“He congratulated me and I truly feel it’s a fitting award coming from John who I think is tremendous,” said Rauls.
“I went to the same church as Mr. Stallworth and my dad was a big fan of his football heroics,” said Davis. “He’s such an awesome human being and a great person to look up to. His pleasant personality reflects who he is in our community. I met all of the sports celebrities and my parents were more excited than I was to meet them.”
