Photo: Ben Hunt (left) receives the 2022 Carroll Award from Paul Holley, one of the team parents at Auburn High School.
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USA Lacrosse has named Ben Hunt of Auburn, Alabama as recipient of the organization’s 2022 Gerald J. Carroll, Jr. Exemplary Coaching Award.
Hunt has served as the varsity head coach at Auburn High School since the founding of the program in 2010, and also coaches local youth players to support the growth of the game in East Alabama. He was the 2021 Greater Birmingham Youth Lacrosse Coach of the Year.
Established in 1994, the Gerald J. Carroll Award annually recognizes one high school boys' coach nationwide. The award measures the success of a coach not in victories but in the care and guidance he gives to the balanced development of the young men who play the game.
The letters of support submitted on Hunt’s behalf noted his great passion for coaching and his strong commitment to using lacrosse as a way to help young men understand some of the broader lessons in life.
One former player wrote, “The most impactful part of Coach Hunt's presence was his mission. Each year, at the beginning of each season, he would say that a winning season would be nice, but his priority was to develop men of character. For me, personally, Coach Hunt is one of the three most impactful men in my life. His leadership, mentorship, and dedication to his aforementioned mission has shaped me into the man I am today.”
A team parent had similar words of support for Hunt.
“He was not just developing lacrosse players; he was developing men. Ben challenges the boys to be good students, requiring a certain grade point average to stay on the team. Over the course of a season, Ben asks each one of them to bring an inspirational quote to practice, read it out loud, and then tell their teammates what it means to them.”
Hunt, a former collegiate All-American and team captain at Rochester Institute of Technology, was recently presented with the Carroll Award prior to the team’s first home game.
“It is a great honor for me and my family to be the recipient of the 2022 Gerald J. Carroll Award,” Hunt said. “Words cannot fully express my gratitude for being considered worthy of such meaningful distinction. The award commemorates an honorable and generous man; I am humbled to be associated with Coach Carroll and what he stood for.”
For more information about the Gerald J. Carroll Jr. Exemplary Coaching Award, please visit usalacrosse.com/gerry-carroll-coaching-award.
