Football Foundation chapter announces special award winners for Feb. 20 event – Bossier Press-Tribune

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By Doug Ireland, NFF McNaughton Chapter Board Member/Communications

Shreveport businesswoman Toni Goodin, Ruston High School football coach Jerrod Baugh and retired West Monroe High School athletic administrator James Remedies will receive prestigious honors Thursday, Feb. 20 during the National Football Foundation S.M. McNaughton Chapter’s annual North Louisiana Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet.

Goodin is the chapter’s 2025 Distinguished American award winner. Remedies is being presented the Contribution to Amateur Football honor. Baugh will receive the chapter’s North Louisiana High School Football Coach of the Year award, which is only presented occasionally for extraordinary merit. Selections are made by the McNaughton Chapter’s board of directors.

They will join nine remarkable Class of 2025 high school football scholar-athletes as the featured guests at Shreveport’s East Ridge Country Club for the chapter’s annual awards banquet. Reservations are available through Thursday morning, Feb. 13.

Tickets, table purchases and sponsorship opportunities for the Feb. 20 festivities are available by calling  318-347-4453 or emailing [email protected]. An extensive silent auction of college and professional football gear, memorabilia and other items will be conducted during the evening.

Tickets for the banquet are $45 each or $360 for a table of eight.Sponsorships are $1,000 with all revenue going to fund the scholarships for the nine deserving scholar-athletes announced last month.

The elite seniors are Cole Cory of North DeSoto; Carter Doyal, Loyola College Prep; Jaydan Gladney, Airline; Sam Greer, C.E. Byrd; Landon Hall, Cedar Creek; Christian McGuire, Jonesboro-Hodge; Cooper Russell – Ouachita Christian; Parker Todd, West Monroe; and Abram Wardell of Calvary Baptist Academy.

One will be designated as the McNaughton Chapter’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and will be recognized throughout 2025 at the NFF’s College Football Hall of Fame Museum in Atlanta, and will be eligible for the NFF’s national honors.

Another will be presented by KTBS-TV of Shreveport and Johnny’s Pizza as the Johnny’s Pizza/Griffin’s Game Ball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

The chapter’s Distinguished American award going to Goodin is presented to an outstanding person who has maintained a lifetime of interest and who, over a period of time, has exhibited enviable leadership qualities and made a significant contribution to the betterment of amateur football.

Previous winners include Leo Sanford, Sen. J. Bennett Johnston, Mike McConathy, Denny Duron, Orvis Sigler, Bo Campbell, Carl Miklovich, Tim Brando, James Davison, Terry Slack, Billy Montgomery, Dr. George Bakowski, John Manno Jr., Ivan Smith Jr. and George Sirven, and the namesake of the local NFF chapter, Milton McNaughton.

The Contribution to Amateur Football honor for Remedies is given to an individual whose efforts and activities in support of the game of football and the Foundation have been local in nature. This individual works tirelessly out of the pure love for the game and a desire to help youth play it well. 

Among the distinguished list of prior recipients are Eddie Robinson, Lee Hedges, Bert Jones, Joe Ferguson, Alton “Red” Franklin, Stan Humphries, Doug Williams, Jimmy “Chick” Childress, Alan Carter, Mike Suggs, Rodney Guin, Broderick Fobbs, Joe Raymond Peace and Sam Goodwin.

Baugh is being honored for his superior abilities in coaching, sportsmanship, integrity and character in amateur football. This country is marked with remarkable individuals who work tirelessly out of pure love for the game and a desire to help youth play it well and Baugh exemplifies that model.

Baugh has led the Ruston football program back among the state’s best since taking over as the Bearcats’ head coach in 2016.  They have played in the LHSAA Division I Non-Select state championship game each of the past two seasons, winning in 2023, and have been highly-ranked in the LSWA’s Class 5A top 10 poll and the LHSAA’s power rankings throughout his tenure.

Baugh’s Bearcats program has produced many college football competitors and he has generated tremendous community involvement and support for the program and school, and impressive facility upgrades. His remarkable personal story of overcoming adversity has been an inspiration for all who encounter him.

The coach of the year honor was last presented to three-time state champion Jess Curtis of Many High School in 2022, and previously to Jason Brotherton of Haughton and Bo Meeks of Airline in recent years.

Goodin, a former Logansport High School cheerleader, has been a dynamic influence on local and area high school and college football while serving in a variety of community service roles.

Owning an accounting degree and two master’s degrees from LSU Shreveport, Goodin became involved with the Independence Bowl in 1986, first serving as the game’s official mascot “LeGeneral” and rising through the ranks to become the Bowl’s Chairwoman in 2009. She continues to serve on the board as a lifetime member and is a team host each December, among other roles.

 
Goodin has been the McNaughton Chapter’s secretary and was recently elected president of the board after the passing of the legendary Leo Sanford. Her involvement with the NFF’s North Louisiana chapter began in 2000 and she became boardsecretary in 2005. Goodin is the glue that holds the chapter together as she spearheads fundraising activities to assure the success of the annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet, which she has coordinated for years. 

She also serves as a member of the NFF Chapter Council that helps select the National High School Scholar-Athlete Award winners.
 

“Being a part of such an amazing organization on the local and national level is a great honor and privilege,” said Goodin. “Football has long been a passion of mine and being able to help young student-athletes pursue a college education and building leader through football is truly an honor.”

She has over 30 years in healthcare expertise across finance, operations, and human resources with executive roles as a Chief Financial Officer, Chief Executive Officer and currently serves as Director of Business Development at Holy Angels, a residential care facility for those with Intellectual disabilities.

Remedies has been engaged with the McNaughton Chapter’s scholar-athlete awards program, submitting outstanding candidates from West Monroe and encouraging other northeast Louisiana schools to do the same, since 1997. A native of Converse in Sabine Parish and a Zwolle High School graduate, he ran on two Southland Conference champion cross country teams at Louisiana Tech. After beginning his coaching career there as a graduate assistant track coach, he entered the coaching ranks in north Louisiana high schools in 1983.

In his five decades in high school sports and as a history teacher, he has been a head coach in track and field and basketball, an assistant football coach and for 20 seasons (2003-2022) was athletic administrator for West Monroe’s powerhouse sports programs. He still helps coach the Rebels’ track and cross country teams.

At Winnsboro, Remedies coached state championship basketball (1992) and track (1986) teams, winning state coach of the year honors in both sports. He became assistant football and boys basketball coach at West Monroe in 1997 and helped the Rebels to a pair of football state titles on Don Shows’ coaching staff. Among the athletes he coached were future NFL standouts and current network TV personalities Anthony “Booger” McFarland (Winnsboro) and Andrew Whitworth (West Monroe).