Drafted 2nd overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, C.J. Stroud led the Texans to their first winning season since 2019. The quarterback is the first rookie in NFL history to throw for over 200 yards in 4 straight games and set the record for most passing yards in a game by a rookie.
A night that changed the Texans franchise. The 2023 NFL Draft saw the Texans select CJ Stroud with the 2nd overall pick, but the moment was made even better when, as everyone was celebrating…the team moved up to 3 and selected Will Anderson Jr. The two young stars have helped turn the team around under the guidance of head coach DeMeco Ryans.
Peggy Turner serves as the Adapted Sports Coordinator at TIRR Memorial Hermann. During her time there, she has championed the advancement of adaptive sports in the Houston area and has always focused on what individuals CAN do… not their disabilities.
Eric Coovert is a Kingwood Park High School Football Coach. After he was diagnosed with Lymphoma, the whole community rallied around his cause…and along with his will and determination, he beat it. In a video that went viral in October, he announced to his team in the locker room that he had officially gone 1-0 against Cancer.
The Texans' rookie quarterback started his career by attempting a record 191 passes without throwing an interception. Stroud was named Offensive Rookie of the Year for the month of September in 2023, and in February of 2024, he was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for his efforts in leading the Texans back to the playoffs.
Ava Brown of Lake Creek High School Softball helped guide the Lions to back-to-back state titles and was named the National Player of the Year by Gatorade
Jimmy Krueger of Seven Lakes High School Soccer led the Spartans to their first-ever state championship. Seven Lakes went on an incredible 29-match unbeaten streak, finishing with a 28-1-1 record and being the #1 ranked team in the nation.
D.J. Lagway of Willis High School helped guide his Willis football team to the best season in 60 years. He is currently playing at the University of Florida.
Lifetime Achievement Award Winner is Louis M. Pearce Jr.
Some might not know the name, but if you’ve been to the rodeo…you have felt his contributions. Pearce spent 66 years working with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. As the show’s 8th president, he oversaw the expansion of the scholarship program, the purse for the winner reached record levels, he helped build and add on to the AstroHall and other facilities, which is now known as NRG Park…and he helped sign Elvis Presley to perform at the show back in 1970. He says that the performance changed how people looked at the event. Mr. Pearce passed away in 2012, but his family accepted the award.
For the first time, the Sports Authority Foundation will hand out the Lifetime Civic Champion Award, and the recipient is Mayor Sylvester Turner. Turner has been Mayor for the past 8 years, and during that time, the city has hosted more major sporting events than any other big city in the country. This award recognizes his achievements in advancing sport in the city.