David Cranfill Truehearted Teammate Award

Each day, high school students within our communities do great, selfless things.  

Founded in 2021 in honor of a life and legacy working tirelessly to share these stories and impact of those who work to benefit others, the David Cranfill True Hearted Teammate Award provides financial support to student-athletes who exhibit the ideals of a truehearted teammate. 

Each year, one male and one female senior are chosen from applicants throughout the state to receive a $1,000 scholarship for their accomplishments both on and off the playing field. These recipients exemplify loyalty and faithfulness by putting their teammates, coaches, school, and community above themselves. 

Life and Legacy of a True Truehearted Teammate

Dedicating much of his life and energy to telling the story of all 160,000 student-athletes and the life lessons they learned by playing IHSAA sponsored high school sports, David Cranfill exemplified what it meant to be a truehearted teammate. As the owner of an advertising agency, the Three Sixty Group, and friend of the IHSAA, Cranfill worked tirelessly to promote the purity, passion, and enthusiasm of high school sports until his passing in 2021.

The David Cranfill Truehearted Teammate award is funded by the visionary's friends, family, and those who felt the impact of his life and passion. 

Scholarship Criteria

- The student must be enrolled and participating in interscholastic athletics at an IHSAA member school.

- The student does not need to be an exemplary student but must be in good standing regarding academic requirements to participate in athletics within the school and demonstrate an appreciation for academics.

- The student does not need to be the best athlete, but they do need to show an abundance of selfless dedication to making the entire team better.

- The student must be a senior at an IHSAA member school who will graduating during the current school year.

- The student must have no violations of his/her school’s athletic code of conduct.

- The student must be planning to attend post-secondary education (4-year college, 2-year college, trade/technical school).

Application Process

Applications for the David Cranfill Truehearted Teammate Award are available on the IHSAA portal website (www.myihsaa.net) each school year. Member school principals and athletic directors will be notified each year when the application become available. The member school is responsible for establishing the process by which its nominee is selected. A member school may nominate only one student-athlete per year and should submit the application to the IHSAA by February 14, 2025.

The school Principal or Athletic Director should initiate the nomination process. To nominate an athlete, click here to login and complete the application. After completing the form, the information will be electronically sent to the nominated student. Once the student completes their section, the form will be electronically returned to the Principal/Athletic Director for a final review and submission to the IHSAA. If you have any questions on this process, please contact IHSAA Foundation Director, Trip Lukemeyer, at tlukemeyer@ihsaa.org or 317-846-6601.