Thomas Jefferson’s Avery Shunneson named 2021 boys Freddie Steinmark Award recipient
Avery Shunneson’s senior year at Thomas Jefferson High School went from the slow pace of having the fall football season postponed to warp speed of having three sports crammed into his final semester of school. Avery and his teammates at TJ participated in the state basketball tournament in early March, started football practice the next week, hoisted the 4A Football Season C Championship trophy in May, and then Avery won two state track and field championships the last weekend of June. Not a bad way to wind up your senior year – oh, and add being named 4A football Player of the Year and committing to attend Princeton University to this list as well.
Avery Shunneson is the 52nd winner of the Steinmark Award since it was established in 1972 (there were two winners in 1976 and 1979) and he continues the proud tradition of Steinmark Award winners. Avery learned a lot of the history surrounding Freddie Steinmark and the award from his football coach, Mike Griebel, who passed on stories about the accomplishments of Freddie Steinmark from his glory days in the mid-1960’s at Wheat Ridge High School and the hard work it took for Freddie to get a scholarship to play for the Longhorns. They talked about Freddie playing in the 1969 ‘Game of the Century’ against the Arkansas Razorbacks and then a week later being diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his left leg and the immediate amputation of the leg.
Most importantly, Avery recognized the hard work and dedication it took in the classroom and his community to really stand out as a Freddie Steinmark Award winner. Avery wrote, “I recalled the many times I would see Freddie Steinmark’s name as I explored the halls of Wheat Ridge High School in between my club basketball games at tournaments held at Wheat Ridge. I was only in middle school at the time, but I can still recall the pride the school had for such an amazing man who was not only a great athlete but also a good citizen and a dynamic leader.”
Avery was a natural leader in the hallways at TJ and the local community. Woody Bonner, assistant track coach at TJ, commented that “as a freshmen, Avery went out to the throw rings the first practice and was instantly the leader of that group of young men and women.” Having the respect of the other athletes and knowledge of the throwing events truly benefitted Avery this year as he stepped up to be the team’s throws coach when Coach Bonner was not able to be at practices during the season due to medical reasons. Coach Bonner also shared that he would “hear from Avery by text or call to check up on me and to fill me in on how the last game [or meet] went. This is something that was not required or asked for. This is something he does because of who he is and the outstanding character he possesses.”
