Mantooth, Oller recognized for character at FCA banquet

April 30, 2019 | 3:05 am

Updated April 29, 2019 | 9:44 pm

Bob Mantooth and Grant Oller were recognized at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet last week. | Photo contributed by FCA

Fellowship of Christian Athletes held their annual banquet Thursday, April 25, with jockey Pat Day as the featured guest speaker. Using Day’s career as the theme, local artist Rhonda McEnroe displayed her Kentucky Derby-themed paintings and she and Day signed her 2019 Derby image entitled, “Gold, For the Win,” which is featured on the official 2019 Kentucky Derby programs and tickets.

Over 380 people attended the event, as local athletes helped greet, seat and serve guests. Two special awards were given for the night, with neither recipient aware they were being recognized until the program began.

Bob Mantooth was recognized as the Bobby Watson FCA Coach of the Year. In its third year, the award is given to honor Watson who, as FCA area director Erica Houston said, was a “local legend of a coach.”

“Every coach I have spoken to has said what high character he [Watson] had,” Houston said. “They have even gone so far to say that they never once heard him yell.”

The FCA board looks at a list of nominated area coaches who demonstrated an amazing display of faith and character with their team over the past year. Houston said Mantooth, who was still serving as Apollo High School head baseball coach in 2018, was a natural fit to honor the legacy and preserve what the award represents.

Watson’s family usually attends the banquet but they were unable to this year, so Houston shared the recipient and information with Watson’s family and said that his wife, Diane, was proud that such a deserving coach would receive the award in her husband’s name.

“He has produced so many local coaches,” Houston said, referencing the previous Friday’s game when Mantooth’s number was retired prior to the start of the game between Apollo and Daviess County, where both head coaches were former players.

Houston said that she is grateful for Mantooth who has served on the FCA board since he retired and is a literal display of servant-leader.

“He always sought out the grunt jobs — always beating someone to the trash — the non-fun jobs,” Houston said. “He gravitated to them.”

According to Houston, Mantooth has also been vital to the FCA character coach ministry by spreading the word to local coaches and was instrumental in getting others to serve.

Because of Mantooth’s humble nature, Houston said it was initially difficult getting him to attend the banquet and he had to be persuaded. When the award was presented, Mantooth shared with the audience that he had no words and was overwhelmed.

In addition to the Coach of the Year award, the FCA Character Counts award made its debut at the 2019 banquet. Although the award has been given at youth camps and at local team banquets, Houston said it had not been part of the annual banquet.

Houston said the award represents the recipient’s display of positive character traits and how that individual strives to showcase these daily. FCA asks student-athletes to recognize these traits in individuals and then nominate persons for the award.

This year, the board decided to allow local athletes to be nominated for the award through local coaches and huddles held at middle and high schools. Those nominations were based on the individual showing a “great deal of character and faith to their school.”

The board reviewed the nominations and believed that this year’s recipient, Grant Oller, impacted each board member and the community with his, and his family’s, display of faith.

“It is very fitting for our first award,” Houston said.

Oller’s father, Nick went on stage to receive the award with Grant. For the first time, Nick was able to publicly thank the community for the prayers, support, fundraisers, gifts and words of encouragement that had been offered while Grant had been hospitalized.

“It was very impactful to be in the audience, and I even knew he was getting the award,” Houston said.

Houston said that Nick also spoke about the fear and uncertainty of the future, but how, through his faith, they did not live in worry each day.

“It was very emotional and he was very grateful,” Houston said. “It was a great display of faith and character.”

 

To read about the mission of FCA, click here.

To read the original stories on Grant Oller, click here.

To read about the tribute to Bob Mantooth, click here.

April 30, 2019 | 3:05 am

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