FIAAA HALL OF FAME
This award is presented an athletic administrator as a means of recognizing the outstanding achievements of interscholastic athletic administrators in the State of Florida, as well as honoring the distinguished achievements of those who have attained excellence and made a positive and dynamic impact upon the FIAAA, student-athletes, high school communities, coaches and colleagues.
Information concerning the guidelines and a nomination packet can be obtained below.
The inductees in the FIAAA Hall of Fame at the 42nd Annual State Conference include three outstanding athletic administrators who have distinguished themselves, locally, statewide, and nationally. The inductees are:
William Massey:
A Ft. Lauderdale native and graduate of Florida Atlantic University, William “Bill” Massey served the student-athletes and coaches of Palm Beach County for over 30 years leading two outstanding athletic programs at Spanish River and Boca Raton High Schools. A well-known promoter of all sports, Massey wouldn’t just place focus on those that were known to be in a higher public spotlight, but rather actively place value on all programs equally. Perhaps one of his greatest accomplishments as an athletic administrator was his important role in helping establish the sports of boy’s volleyball and girls flag football as recognized FHSAA sports in the state of Florida. He would also play important roles in the beginnings of lacrosse and water polo within the state. His work on the state level extended into terms on both the FHSAA Representative Assembly and AD Advisory committees. Massey would see his programs win a combined 26 state championships as well as be named as the prestigious South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach County Program of the Year on 15 occasions throughout his tenure as the athletic administrator at Spanish River and Boca Raton High Schools. In 2003, he was admitted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame and in 2011 would be inducted into the prestigious Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
Massey would be a champion for both coaches and athletic director education in the state of Florida throughout his career. He would be one of the first to obtain a Certified Master Athletic Administrator certification in the state and was well known for his presence as a speaker and presenter at both the FIAAA and NIAAA conferences. Having served as a state faculty member for the FIAAA Leadership Training Institute, Massey would take on a larger leadership role in the organization as a part of the board of directors highlighted by his term as the 31st President of the FIAAA in 2007-2008. During his time in the leadership of the organization, he would serve as a chairman for several different committees including chairing the Operations Committee as part of the first FIAAA Strategic Plan. He would be awarded the NIAAA State Award of Merit in 2005.
Massey would continue his work in professional development into coach’s education programs, where he was an ASEP (Human Kinetics) Certified Coaches Education Instructor and would be instrumental in leading the implementation of a full coaching education program as a school district requirement in Palm Beach County, the first of its kind in the state of Florida. “The fabric of sports in Palm Beach County and the State of Florida has been immeasurably improved by Bill Massey’s involvement” said Rick Rothman, former Head Cross Country Coach at Spanish River High School. “Bill almost always demonstrated textbook diplomacy, awareness, and apathy. The only time he didn’t do so was when his vision exceeded any textbook. Great virtue flowed from his heart and inspired all whom he led. The best hire of my career was to have Bill become Boca High’s AD,” said former Spanish River and Boca Raton Principal Dr. Geoff McKee.
Michael Stutzke:
A native to the treasure coast, E. Michael Stutzke would serve an outstanding 22-year career in athletic administration not only leading the Sebastian River High School athletic department to new heights but helping promote the growth and success of all interscholastic athletics across the state of Florida. A 1976 graduate of Villanova University, he would go on to serve in the United States Marine Corps before entering the business world and later returning to Florida to operate a family citrus business in Vero Beach. In 1990 he would enter the field of education with his sights set on making a difference in young people’s lives in the classroom and in the athletic arena. Stutzke would begin his coaching career at Vero Beach High School serving as the assistant track coach and head boys and girls cross country coach from 1990 to 1994. In the spring of 1994, he was hired as an IB teacher, Head Boys & Girls Cross Country Coach, and Athletic Director at Sebastian River High School where he would spend the next 22 years of his career. No stranger to servant leadership, as under Stutzke’s direction of the athletic programs Sebastian River would serve as the host for the swimming and softball FHSAA State Championships on numerous occasions. He would establish the first Girls Lacrosse (1996) and Boys and Girls Rowing (2005) programs on the Treasure Coast, as well as starting Florida’s first varsity level Girls Rugby program (2008). Stutzke’s strong reputation for being a leader would again be on display with his establishment of a random drug testing program for all sports within his school in 1996, the first of its kind in the State of Florida. The program served as a blueprint for any county wishing to start a drug-testing program. His trendsetting reputation would again be shown through his creation of a one hundred percent digital athletic department, becoming the state’s first program to transition all department paperwork to digital formatting and recordkeeping. His work in interscholastic athletics extended to outside his high school program, as he was a founding member of the Treasure Coast Sports Commission, and currently serves as the organization’s Chairman.
In 1998, Michael earned his Certified Athletic Administrator designation, and would later advance to becoming a Certified Master Athletic Administrator in 2002. Stutzke’s work on the state level would have a huge positive impact on the long-term growth and success of the FIAAA, as he created and implemented the association’s first corporate sponsorship program in 2003. Three years later he would serve as the 30th President of the FIAAA in 2006-2007. Stuzke would later help create the first FIAAA newsletter, with the inaugural issue being published in 2009. Two years later he would be recognized by his peers as being named with the Dr. Clarence Noe Athletic Director of the Year Award in 2011. Stutzke was an active presenter at FACA, FIAAA, and NIAAA Conferences as well as served on the state faculty for Leadership Training Classes.
“He always upheld and exemplified the moral character, ethical behavior, and work ethic that every coach and student-athlete needed in their endeavors to be responsible citizens of their school, community, and country” said Todd Racine, former Principal of Sebastian River High School. “The FIAAA Hall of Fame is for those persons who have made a distinct and legendary impact on our organization, Michael fits perfectly into that definition” said FIAAA Past-President Danny Ninestine, “I can think of no other colleague of mine over the past three decades that deserves a spot in the FIAAA Hall of Fame more than Michael.”
Tommy St Amant:
Hailing from the Florida panhandle in Blountstown, Tommy St Amant would graduate from Florida State University in 1970, setting the stage for a 30-year career in coaching and athletic administration where he would get his start as a basketball coach at Choctawhatchee and Fort Walton Beach High Schools. He would be twice named the Okaloosa Playground Daily News Coach of the Year (1978 & 1980) while coaching the Viking Basketball program. St Amant would be named the Bay District Schools County Athletic Director in 1986, a position he would hold for 23 years until his retirement in 2009. During his tenure over athletics in Bay County, he developed an extensive county extracurricular handbook and created the framework for all middle school sports in the county to include new policies and governing structure. St Amant would oversee the building of a state of the art county football stadium, including new scoreboards and play clocks, turf field, and multi-use press box. He implemented Rhythmic Gymnastics into the sports offerings in Bay County helping promote more female sport participation, and would later be awarded recognition from the Title IX Department for his work in creating the new sport in the area. In 1997 St Amant would be named the Bay District Administrator of the Year, the first to be bestowed with the honor.
Tommy St Amant joined the FIAAA as a board of directors in 1987 representing Districts 1 & 2 in the Florida panhandle. He would serve the association for 26 years, having never missed a state conference dating back to 1987. St Amant would serve as the Chairman of the Higher Education Committee for over 20 years, helping provide leadership in the development of the criteria and selection process for the Mandy Stoll Scholar-Athlete Awards given out annually at the FIAAA State Conference. He would be recognized by his peers with the FIAAA Clarence Noe Athletic Director of the Year Award in 1999. His leadership continues to be on full display to this day as he continues to oversee the conference’s annual Mandy Stoll Silent Auction, having done so each year since the inception of the event in 1993. St Amant has helped raise over $100,000 for student scholarships during his time serving as the organizer of the silent auction. He has been named an FIAAA Lifetime Member in 2011, as well as having been awarded the NIAAA State Award of Merit in 2001 and 2012.
“His relentless commitment, dedication, knowledge, hard work, organization, and love for athletics in our county did not go unnoticed” said Julie Hale, “I cannot imagine anyone more deserving of the honor of being selected for the FIAAA Hall of Fame.”
Hall of Fame Guidelines
Hall of Fame Nomination Form
Previous Classes
Class of 2016
Class of 2017
Class of 2018
Class of 2019
Class of 2020 (recognized in 2021)
Class of 2022