Sportsperson of The Year Award Nominees

(VIRGINIA BEACH, VA) – From impressive individual and team performances to an inspirational comeback story, the nominees for the inaugural Virginia Sports Hall of Fame’s Steve Guback Sportsperson of the Year Award highlight all that is good about sports in Virginia. Now through February 20, the general public will have a chance to cast its vote for the award, which will recognize an athlete, coach, team, administrator and/or individual who supports athletics, and who has distinguished themselves through outstanding athletic achievement during the 2023 calendar year.

Sportsperson of the Year Award nominees (click on each for nomination file):

• Kate Douglass – University of Virginia Swimming
• Mike Hollins – University of Virginia Football
• John Krikorian – Christopher Newport University Men’s Basketball
• Norfolk Tides – AAA Baseball
• Patrick Henry High School (Ashland) – Boy’s Volleyball

The winner will be selected through a vote combining the Hall’s Board of Directors, and the general public, with the winner of the public vote counting as one (1) vote in the final tally.  You can place your vote for the Sportsperson of the Year Award below.

The award will be presented as part of the 2024 Induction Ceremony, April 20 at the Henrico Sports & Events Center in Henrico County.

The award is named in honor of 2005 Virginia Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Steve Guback. Sportsperson of the Year award criteria is as follows:

• Nominee is a resident of Virginia and/or their athletic achievement has a strong connection to Virginia.
• Athletic achievement must have taken place between January 1 – December 31, 2023
• Nominee clearly demonstrates sportsmanship, defined as behavior exhibited before, during or after competition based on values, respect of the game and its participants.
• Nominee positively affects a community’s sports culture and represents themselves and/or their athletic organization with integrity.

2024 Induction Weekend event and ticket information can be found at: https://vasportshof.com/2024-induction-weekend/

Steve Guback spent 75 years covering sports on the local, regional, and national levels for publications in Virginia and Washington D.C. Writing primarily for the Richmond Times Dispatch, and Washington Star, Guback was named Virginia/District of Columbia Sportswriter three times, and served on the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee. A 1989 inductee into the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame, Guback served as director of information for President Ronald Reagan’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Guback passed away in 2018 at the age of 91.

Learn more about Guback: https://vasportshof.com/inductee/steve-guback/