Homewood’s Kelly selected as Bryant-Jordan honoree

Homewood High’s Chase Kelly has been selected as a Bryant-Jordan Scholar-Athlete for Class 6A, Region 5, Bryant-Jordan Director Shelton Thompson announced.

Kelly, who played football and wrestled for the Patriots, carries a 4.16 grade-point average.

As a football player, Kelly started at left tackle for the Patriots, who made the Class 6A playoffs this season. He earned three letters and won the Football Scholastic Award.

As a wrestler, he finished fourth in the Alabama State Tournament as a senior. He earned the Valuable Wrestler award, the Most Intensity award, Most Team Wins, Pins and Points as a junior, the Never Quit Award as a sophomore and the Iron Man Award as a freshman. He also was awarded the team’s Scholastic Award and was team co-captain. 

He’s a member of the National Honor Society, the math team, the Beta Club, president of Mu Alpha Theta and the Patriot Award winner. He is also an Eagle Scout.

Homewood High School has had eight students to be named a Class Student-Athlete Scholar Winner. Of the eight, HHS has had four students named the Larry D. Striplin Jr. Scholar-Athlete Winners, the highest honor of the Bryant-Jordan Program. 

 The eight previous honorees and the year they were selected are Miller Williams (2014), Maggie Williams (2013), Wilson Boardman (2006), Marti L. Buckley (2002), Zachary Boylan (1997), John Mark Adrian (1993), William Daniel Hood (1992) and William Harvey Bearden (1990).

 A total of 52 seniors, eight each from the AHSAA Classes 1A through 6A and four in Class 7A, were selected as Scholar-Athlete regional winners and 52 were chosen in the Student-Achievement division. Each student selected was nominated by their respective high schools. For the first time since 1988, the total number has expanded from the previous 96 total. Eight additional student-athletes will be recognized due to the addition of Class 7A, which has 32 total schools, by the AHSAA this school year. Approximately 60-64 schools comprise each of the other six classifications.

A committee of school principals chose the area winners. A committee of school administrators in each region then selected the regional winners. The overall winners will be selected by a statewide committee comprised of school administrators and state business leaders.

     All 104 students will be recognized at the 2015 Bryant-Jordan Banquet set for Birmingham’s Sheraton Hotel Ballroom on April 13. Each regional winner will receive a $2,500 scholarship with class winners receiving an additional $3,000 scholarship. The overall Larry D. Striplin Jr. Scholar-Athlete and the overall Ken and Betty Joy Blankenship Achievement Award state winners will receive an additional $3,000 each.  

Regional winners are also eligible to receive several other scholarships that will be awarded by 13 Alabama four-year colleges and 13 Alabama community colleges participating in the program. The 13 colleges participating include: Auburn University, Auburn-Montgomery, Jacksonville State, Miles College, Samford, Troy University, University of Alabama, UAB, UAH, Montevallo, North Alabama, South Alabama and West Alabama.

The 13 community colleges are: Bevill State, Calhoun, Central Alabama, Chattahoochee Valley, Gadsden State, Jefferson State, Lawson State, Northeast Alabama, Northwest-Shoals, Shelton State, Snead State, Wallace-Dothan and Wallace-Hanceville.

Several special scholarships are also presented annually including the Dr. Gaylon McCollough Medical Scholarship ($2,500) earmarked for a selected regional winner who plans to go into the medical field, and the Herman “Bubba” Scott Coach’s Scholarship ($2,500) given to a selected regional winner who plans to go into teaching and coaching.  

The Auburn Football Lettermen and the University of Alabama “A” Club Educational and Charitable Foundation also present scholarships to selected regional winners who plan to attend either Auburn or Alabama, respectively. The Auburn Lettermen present two $2,500 scholarships, while the Alabama “A” Club presents scholarships totaling $12,000.

 In addition, each school that has an individual classification winner will receive a $2,000 cash award. Approximately $1 million in scholarships are awarded annually in the nationally acclaimed program named for legendary football coaches Paul “Bear” Bryant and Ralph “Shug” Jordan. The program began in 1986 as a project of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the AHSAA and is now in its 30th year.