The Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) has named Brian Gordon the recipient of the Jack Johnson Distinguished Service Award for 2022.
Brian has spent 32 years in educational athletics. For 20 years, he was a teacher and coach for Royal Oak Schools, teaching and serving as the department chair for physical education and health while also coaching JV football, freshmen basketball, and varsity baseball. Brian spent two years as the athletic director and assistant principal at Royal Oak High School before taking the athletic director job at Novi, where he spent nine years. This past year, Brian returned to Royal Oak as the athletic director while also serving as a liaison for the Special Olympics of Michigan, helping to promote Unified Sports.
The association's goals are to improve the physical education and athletic programs in schools, advance the standards of teaching and administrative leadership in these programs, and to provide support to the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA).
The MIAAA has an awards committee that is responsible for collecting, evaluating, and recommending members for the MIAAA designated awards. Award criteria for the Jack Johnson Distinguished Service Award is as follows:
- Presented annually to an individual outside the field of interscholastic athletic administration who has, over the years, demonstrated a service to the high school athletes of the state and/or MIAAA.
- Open nomination to any person who has given their time, effort and commitment to Michigan High School athletics and the student participants,
Marc Hage, CMAA, athletic director at Livonia Churchill High School, said, "Brian has always had the best interests of students in mind, concerning all of his educational endeavors. He works very conscientiously with both his students and his athletes toward the directed end of a positive and successful experience for each. The respect with which he treats both students and colleagues is unparalleled. The MIAAA and Mr. Gordon have developed a mutual respect for each other, based largely upon his sincerity, kindness and genuine enjoyment of his occupation. He is one of the most looked up to and respected individuals in the MIAAA."
Brian was a 2018 MIAAA Regional Athletic Director of the Year, a 2019 recipient of the MHSAA Allen W. Bush Award, a Unified Champion Schools Award (Michigan Special Olympics) recipient while at Novi and was recently inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2021.
"When honored by your colleagues, this is extremely meaningful. And the fact that the award is named after Jack Johnson and all that he accomplished for the state and all that he did for athletics here in Michigan is very humbling," said Gordon.