This year, Miami Trace High School gave out the first-annual Coach Sean Sweeney Memorial Scholarship at its graduation ceremony in honor of late coach Sean Sweeney who passed away tragically this past year.
To those who knew him, Sean was a joy to be around and instilled countless lessons and priceless life advice into the youth who were fortunate enough to have him as a coach.
The scholarship fund was created to honor his legacy, and to allow him to continue to help the next generation of soccer players and young adults, the first of which were Drew Black and Noah Perry.
Both students had a close bond with Sean and were devastated to learn of Sean’s passing. A committee of Sean’s family members selected both young men to win their awards that will help them in their future journey into college, with both young men attending Kent State University this coming fall.
Lisa Sweeney, Sean’s wife, and Gayle Smith, Sean’s mom, were at the graduation ceremony May 20 and were able to talk with both scholarship recipients about what the award means and why they were chosen for this year’s rewards, as they exemplified the character traits that Sean exhibited so memorably during his life.
This year’s award was funded by Sean’s family, but that is obviously not sustainable.
That is why on June 25, we are hosting the second-annual Sean Sweeney Tribute Game for alumni and former players of Sean to raise money for the 2023 scholarship.
In last year’s event, we were able to raise nearly $10,000 with the support of our amazing community in order to help Sean’s family with the financial burden left behind by his passing, and this year, they have been nothing but helpful in creating a way to keep Sean’s legacy alive.
The Miami Trace Athletic Boosters have been kind enough to offer a full concession stand again for this year’s event, so spectators can expect food and beverages to be available during the game.
All games will be fully refereed again this year, and any prospective players can email Caleb Perry at [email protected] or join the Facebook Group (Sean Sweeney Tribute Game) for a link to sign up and for updates about the game.
The event was a huge success last year, with soccer players from all generations of Sean’s coaching career reuniting to play the game where they met the assistant coach they loved so dearly. This year, the games are slated to start at noon on Saturday, June 25 with a tentative end time of around 4 to 5 p.m.
Also, thanks to Pierre and Marilyn Sweeney, Sean’s dad and step mom, his brother, Lyle Sweeney and his sister, Erin Rickman.
This event takes place on the same day as Toast to Summer, and we hope that spectators will come enjoy the games then head over to the Toast to Summer event to have fun and support local businesses!
