Steve Stonebraker not only guided Danville to nine wins in 2025 but created renewed community interest in the program. (Larry Vaught Photo)
He took a football team that had lost 23 straight games and went 9-3 in his first year at Danville High School and even won a Class AA playoff game with the Danville Admirals.
However, it was more than the winning that led to Danville coach Steve Stonebraker being named the Howard Schnellenberger Coach of the Year by the Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group. Past recipients of the award include Dudley Hilton, Chad Pennington, Phillip Haywood, Dennis Johnson and David Buchanan.
Rob Schmid, president of the Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group, noted the award is as much about how a coach conducts himself as it is winning.
“Success in coaching is not an easy task, but neither is the ability to mentor and motivate teenagers, as any parent can attest. Your success on the field is a testament to your ability to communicate and empathize with a diverse group of young men and direct individuals to sacrifice self for team and it is those talents that we honor,” said Schmid.
“Watching my own son play in high school and college gave me valuable insight into that challenge and the special character of those who coach. You’re a special breed and an important role model and we want you to know how much we appreciate all that you and your staff do.”
Stonebraker will receive his award June 25th in Lexington during the “Evening with Legends.” Special guest at this event will be Joe Flacco, the 2026 Blanton Collier Integrity award winner.
Flacco has been a quarterback in the NFL since 2008 and spent last year as Joe Burrow’s backup in Cincinnati and will be back in the same role this year. He won a Super Bowl as Baltimore’s starting quarterback in 2012. He has thrown for 272 touchdowns and over 48,000 yards in his NFL career.
The award is in memory of Collier, who played football and basketball at Paris High School. He started his coaching career at Paris High School and was an assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns from 1946-53. He was the head coach at the University of Kentucky for eight years and had a 41-36-3 record, including 5-2-1 against Tennessee. He was SEC Coach of the Year in 1954. He became head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1963-70 and had a 76-34-2 record.
According to the group’s website, the coach of the year is presented to a coach who has the same “values of integrity, sportsmanship and leadership” that Collier always had.
“The recipient of this award also demonstrates mentorship to his or her players, using the platform of football to instill values of character in their players espoused by the Blanton Collier Group, which include, among others, Honesty, Dependability, Determination and Respect, which can be carried forward throughout the rest of their lives,” the website said.
Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group member John Smoot said the award considers “how you treat people” and Stonebraker does that well.
“Wins and losses come into play but it is about more than just that,” Smoot said. “I have known Steve for many, many years. I knew him when he was (coaching) at Centre College. I know the leadership, character and class he has had during the totality of his career. For me, he was an easy choice and Danville is lucky to have him. There might be other coaches with more wins but just the person he is sells me on him being our winner.”
Buchanan won the award in 2011, the second year it was given. He’s currently the head coach at Anderson County but earlier in his career was the head coach at Paris. He will introduce Flacco at this year’s event.
Gayle Sears, one of the all-time great NFL running backs, won the Blanton Collier Award for Integrity the same year Buchanan was coach of the year,
“I got to meet Gayle Sayers and got my picture with him,” Buchanan said. “It is a really cool deal. It is oriented toward coaches who treat guys right and do the right things. I am happy for Steve because he does things the right way and he deserves this. He has the Danville program going back in the right direction and I appreciate that.”
