Ward Webb
Ward Webb
Mountain Brook football player Ward Webb was selected as the Class 7A winner in the Student Achievement division of the Bryant-Jordan Awards at a banquet on Monday.
Webb received $2,500 in scholarship money as a regional winner and added $3,000 as the Class 7A winner.
At 4 years old, Webb lost both of his feet, amputated after a horrible accident involving a downed power line. He played football while wearing prosthetic legs. His coach, Chris Yeager, cited Webb as an inspiration to the team, and the B-J committee agreed.
Sometimes, Yeager told Village Living in a story last month, a player teaches a coach something.
“I’ve been coaching 30 years and seen some of the most minor obstacles and trivial inconveniences that [made people stop] in their tracks and go the other way. When things don’t go your way, it’s human nature to be a little bitter sometimes, think you’re entitled to a life without obstacles.
“Ward has such a grateful spirit, he thinks what he’s done and what he’s accomplished is no big deal. He really sees himself as blessed.”
Yeager recalled an occasion when Webb received an honor and it was mentioned that he’d overcome a loss.
Webb said to the interviewer, “I haven’t lost anything. I’m getting to play the great game of football and I’m on a team with a bunch of guys that are as close to me as family.”
Yeager said that’s just Webb being the positive, upbeat Webb.
“Everybody has tough days,” Yeager said. “And I’ve gone out on the field thinking I’m having a tough day and at the other end of the field I’ll see him out there running around before practice, just throwing the football with a buddy or whatever, and it just makes you think I don’t even know what a tough day is.
“It’s been an unbelievable inspiration to coach him.”
Becoming a Bryant-Jordan honoree
A committee of school principals chose the Bryant-Jordan 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 were recognized at the 2015 Bryant-Jordan Banquet at Birmingham’s Sheraton Hotel Ballroom Monday. Each regional winner will receive a $2,500 scholarship with class winners receiving an additional $3,000 scholarship.
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 Alabama High School Athletic Association and is now in its 30th year.
