The Gainey Student Athlete Scholarship Award has been established to recognize “Athletic Achievement and Strength of Character” annually. 
 The award is named for North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Famer Pat Gainey fund was established through a private donation from his daughter, Barry Jo Shoen.

The 2011 recipient will be the fifth annual award winner and this year’s winner is slated to be a female athlete. Awards currently alternate between a senior female athlete and a male baseball player at an NCHSAA member high school located within a county of limited financial resources who possess a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2, a strong work ethic, demonstrated athletic success during the high school career and demonstrated respect for coaches and teammates.

This award is presented at the NCHSAA Annual Meeting held each May in Chapel Hill. The recipient receives a $2,000 scholarship award and a commemorative plaque.

A native of Dunn, Gainey recorded a phenomenal record in women’s basketball at a couple of different stops during his coaching career and was a strong supporter of women’s athletics. His overall record at Pamlico was an incredible 93-6 in women’s basketball and he also fielded outstanding baseball teams there. He then moved to Taylorsville, where he coached from 1955-64. His women’s basketball teams won five Western North Carolina High School Activities Association (WNCHSAA) titles and at one point recorded 54 consecutive wins and 140 straight conference victories. His overall women’s basketball mark was 358-57.

Deadline to submit materials is March 20, 2011. The nomination form is found on the NCHSAA web site front page, under the drop down menu Scholarship/Awards. Questions may be directed to Mary Vrnak in the NCHSAA offices at (919) 240-7371.