Sherman Stands Tall Among The Giants At The Oregon Sports Awards
Video Presentation & Acceptance Speech |
Past DNA Award Winners |
Oregon Sports Awards Website |
Award Announcement Release With Extended Biography
BEAVERTON, Ore. – With the same confident but humble approach with which she approached coaching and running a college athletic department, Judy Sherman stood tall among the giants in sports in Oregon Sunday night.
Sherman was awarded the DNA Award at the 2011 Oregon Sports Awards, held at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike World Campus. The annual award is presented to individuals or organizations for their extraordinary passion and dedication to sports in Oregon. The recipients on this award are part of Oregon's sports DNA.
The longtime Pacific softball coach and director of athletics was presented by Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune. A graduate of Oregon State University, Sherman shared Sunday's honor with another Beavers' connection in longtime public address voice Mike Stone.
In a short acceptance speech, Sherman expressed gratitude to her players, assistant coaches and colleagues at Pacific and special recognition for her family, many of which attended the ceremony.
“You've laughed with me, you've cried with me and all through the years you have supported me,” Sherman said of her siblings, children, grandchildren and other family members. “For honoring me as far as my passion for sport, and my love for Oregon, I thank all you involved.”
Sherman's recognition puts the Forest Grove native in select company with a who's who of Oregon sports figures who have won the DNA Award over the years. Past recipients have included Portland Trail Blazers announcer Bill Schonely, pro golfer Brian Henninger, former Portland State and Boise State head football coach Pokey Allen, major league umpires Jim Joyce and Dale Scott, governor Vic Atiyeh and screenwriter Mike Rich, to name a few.
Sherman has spent parts of six decades as a member of the Pacific University athletics family. A coach of five sports over her tenure, Sherman's biggest successes came in her 28 years coaching the Boxers' softball program. Amassing 418 wins and a .741 winning percentage, Sherman led the Boxers to seven national tournaments and six Northwest Conference titles. She coached 11 all-Americans, six NAIA District II Players of the Year and over 70 all-conference selections.
In addition to her coaching duties, Sherman served as Pacific's director of athletics from 1993 to 2004, overseeing the program as it made it's transition from NAIA membership to NCAA Division III. A longtime leader in the sport of softball at the national level, Sherman served 11 years on USA Softball's International Selection Committee and helped build the last three U.S. Olympic softball teams.
The DNA Award is the latest in a long ling of recognitions for Sherman. She was the first softball coach elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame and the NAIA District II Hall of Fame in 1988. She was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Pacific University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. Pacific softball jersey No. 1 was retired in her honor and Pacific's softball stadium, Sherman/Larkins Stadium, is named for her and her father, Ellerd Larkins.
Sherman continues to be a fixture in Pacific athletics, helping coordinate event management for home events.
PACIFIC WELL REPRESENTED AT OREGON SPORTS AWARDS: In addition to Judy Sherman, Pacific had a couple of other connections to award winners at the Oregon Sports Awards.
Former Pacific wrestler Josh Rhoden was honored as part of Clackamas Community College's NJCAA national championship wrestling program as one of seven winners of the George Pasero Team of the Year award. A 2004 graduate of Pacific and a two-year member of the wrestling program, Rhoden is in his fifth year as the Cougars' head coach and was a graduate assistant for the Boxers during the 2004-05 season.
Jesuit High School's Elizabeth Brenner was named the winner of the Johnny Carpenter 5A/6A Female Prep Athlete of the Year Award. A three-sport standout in in volleyball, basketball and track and field, she was named the 2011 Oregon 6A basketball player of the year while leading the Crusaders to the state championship. Brenner was coached in basketball during her senior season by former Pacific men's basketball coach Jason Lowery.
