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Memorable night for TBT's Hayes

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 25, 2009

TAMPA - In the busy life of Tampa Bay Tech assistant football coach Ernest Hayes, transportation has been somewhat problematic.

He usually catches a ride to TBT with a co-worker, while his wife, Regina, drives their daughter to school in the family's only car. At lunch, the car is shuttled back to Hayes (who attends an after-school teaching course), while Regina gets a ride home with her co-worker.

"Somehow, we've been able to make it work," Hayes said.

Well, life just got a bit easier.

Hayes won the grand prize - a 2009 Ford Focus, donated by Bill Currie Ford - during Saturday night's 20th Annual Coaches Banquet, which again was orchestrated by the Steinbrenner family and the Yankees.

Hayes, who has 21 years of coaching experience, including a stint as head coach at Brandon, said he was humbled by his good fortune.

"I'm blessed - and I think everybody in this room is blessed," Hayes said. "Obviously, we don't do it for the money. We do it for the kids. Being recognized like this, it's just greatly appreciated by all of us."

The evening, which attracted 1,200 people to the Downtown Hyatt, is affectionately known as the "Coaches' Prom."

The prizes included eight cash awards of $2,500 and all-expenses-paid trips to places such as San Francisco (won by Blake cross country coach Shirley Parker, retiring after 36 years) and Washington, D.C. (won by Durant football coach Mike Gottman, who said it will be used to celebrate his 15th wedding anniversary). King baseball coach Jim Macaluso, a veteran of 34 years, won a trip to New York, which includes tickets to a Yankees game and a Broadway show.

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