PSA announces annual awards

Cameron Jordan, a defensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints, will be the presenting speaker Friday when the Pensacola Sports Association hosts its annual awards banquet.

The event kicks off with a reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. March 8 at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front. Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Jordan’s appearance is made possible by Hancock Bank. Jordan, of Minneapolis, Minn., played college football for the University of California and was a first-round draft selection – 24^th overall – by the Saints in 2011.

The banquet isn’t until Friday, but the association has released winners of all but two awards: Sportsman of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

Kevin Saucier, Charlie Hendley and Adrian Stills will be inducted into the PSA Hall of Fame.

Saucier, an Escambia High School graduate, has spent his career playing (pitcher) and scouting talent for Major League Baseball. He won a World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980. Hendley was the head golf pro for the Pensacola Country Club for 38 years. Stills, head golf pro at the City of Pensacola’s Osceola Golf Course, is the last black player to earn his PGA Tour Card at Tour Qualifying School and is a new member of the PGA Tour Black Hall of Fame. All three PSA Hall of Fame inductees are scheduled to be in attendance.

Justin Gatlin (Olympic Athlete of the Year), Alfred Morris (Professional Athlete of the Year) and Chelsea Palmer (Amateur Athlete of the Year) will receive the association’s top awards.

Trent Richardson, also an Escambia High School graduate and a standout running back for the University of Alabama and the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, will receive a Special Recognition Award.

All four athletes are scheduled to be in attendance to accept their individual awards.

A complete list of award winners is below.  The only two awards that are unknown to the recipients and will be announced at the banquet are the Sportsman of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

The 2012 award winners are:

--  Justin Gatlin, Olympic Athlete of the Year, silver and bronze medals in 2012 Olympics

-- Chelsea Palmer, Amateur Athlete of the Year, University of West Florida women’s soccer, National Player of the Year, National Soccer Coaches Association of America first team

-- Alfred Morris, Professional Athlete of the Year, Washington Redskins running back

-- Kevin Saucier, Hall of Fame, MLB player/scout, World Series champion

-- Charlie Hendley, Hall of Fame, Pensacola Country Club golf pro for 38 years

-- Adrian Stills, Hall of Fame, PGA Black Hall of Fame

-- Brandon Sanford, Special Olympic Athlete of the Year, weightlifting

-- Pensacola State College women’s basketball, Special Achievement, state champions

-- Zach Price, Special Achievement, West Point Scholar Athlete of the Year

-- Catholic High School baseball, Special Achievement, Class 4A state champions

-- Addison Russell, Special Achievement, Oakland A’s first-round draft pick

-- Blue Wahoos, Special Achievement, Billy Hamilton’s stolen-bases record, Bruce Baldwin executive of the year, Ball Park of the Year, Organization of the Year

-- Damarius Randall, Special Achievement, NJCAA All-American defensive back at Mesa Community College

-- Northview High School football, Special Achievement, Class 1A state champions

-- Trent Richardson, Special Achievement, Cleveland Browns, broke team’s single-season rushing record formerly held by Jim Brown.

-- UWF women’s soccer, Special Achievement, NCAA Division II national champions, Chelsea Palmer and Sarah Storey, NSCAA first team; Shelby Bush, Rachel Cutts, Daktronics All-American first team; Joe Bartlinski, NSCAA Coach of the Year.

-- Gulf Coast Texans, Special Achievement, Women’s Professional Soccer League champions

-- Tori Bindi, Special Achievement, Gulf Breeze swimming, high school All-America

-- Derrick Racine, Special Achievement, Intercollegiate Tennis Association NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year

-- Keith Ducros, Special Achievement, ITA singles first team and doubles first team, UWF

-- Bruno Savi, Special Achievement, ITA singles first team and doubles first team, UWF

-- Darroneshia Lott, Special Achievement, Southern Plains College, cross country national champions

-- Austin Droogsma, Special Achievement, Gulf Breeze, Class 3A state champion, discus/shot; shot put gold and silver medals in AAU Junior Olympics

-- Johna Whitaker, Special Achievement, Pine Forest, Class 3A state champion, 100-meter dash

-- Fredrick Jones, Special Achievement, Pace, Class 6A shot put state champion

-- Sam Hazewinkel, Special Achievement, 2012 Olympic wrestling team member

-- Chase Campbell, Special Achievement, Tate, Class 2A state champion, boys’ we