John W. Coffey Scholarship Award

The John W. Coffey Award was established in 1997 by Earlene Coffey. It is presented annually to honor a volunteer umpire within District 31 who; by their effort, respect and dedication, reflect the standards established by the late, former District 31 Umpire-in-Chief, John Coffey.

Even after many, many years of service to Little League Baseball, John continued to seek improvement for himself. And whether it was by his instruction, or the example he demonstrated on the field, he was instrumental in the development of any umpire who sought his advice.

This scholarship award seeks to perpetuate the dedication, respect and commitment John epitomized each and every time he umpired a Little League Baseball game.

Honorees are selected by the Coffey Award Committee. In recognition of their accomplishment, they receive tuition to a Little League Baseball Umpire training event, as well as other gifts.

Recipient(s) are announced, and presented with a commemorative plaque, at the District 31 Majors Championship Game.

     On July 11^th, 2012 at Tierra Bonita Elementary School baseball fields of Poway American Little League, the John Coffey Scholarship Award recipients were announced prior to the District 31 All-star Little League (11-12 year olds) championship game. The recipients this year are Tyler Robbins of Carmel Mountain Ranch Little League and John Tompkins of Valley Center Little League.

JOHN COFFEY AWARD Recipients

1997- Kevin Slebioda (youth) Escondido Continental
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1998- Mike Johnson (youth) Escondido American
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1999- Steve Arce Escondido National
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2000- Mike Mitchell Escondido National
Matt Arce (youth) Escondido National
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2001- Robbie Koble (youth) Poway American
Mike Cascioppo (youth) Escondido Continental
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2002- Bud Mathews Escondido Continental
Todd Wilkinson (youth) Escondido American
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2003- Jeff Wimbrough Carmel Mt. Ranch
Mike Gonzales (youth) Escondido Continental
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2004- Jim Clark Rancho Bernardo
Mike Wimbrough (youth) Carmel Mt. Ranch
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2005- Tom Urbach Poway American
Tyler Bennett (youth) Escondido Continental
Nathan Hannah (youth) Escondido Continental
Mike Vaona (youth) Carmel Mt. Ranch
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2006- Mike Deason Poway American
Kyre Wilcox (youth) Encinitas
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2007- Bruce Courtney 4S Ranch
Ryan Walker (youth) Carmel Mt. Ranch
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2008- Jeff Norton Poway American
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2009- David Miller Poway American
Anthony Capito (youth) Escondido National
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2010- Mike Kiesel Encinitas National
Bennett Criss (youth) Escondido American
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2011- Ken Judd 4S Ranch
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2012- John Tompkins Valley Center
Tyler Robbins (youth) Carmel Mountain Ranch
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"A very prestigious award in our district. John was a great umpire and a better person. Each of us whether we knew him or not takes a little bit of him on the field each time we work." - Mark Bernstein, CA-31 Umpire Consultant