ORGANIZATION’S FOUNDATION WILL AWARD $15,000 TO ST. LOUIS AREA HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS WHO EXEMPLIFY OUTSTANDING SPORTSMANSHIP; TOP WINNER WILL RECEIVE $10,000
ST. LOUIS – Feb. 9, 2026 – The St. Louis Sports Commission is looking for the next recipients of the Carl Fricks Sportsmanship Scholarship, awarded annually to St. Louis area high school seniors who demonstrate a penchant for sportsmanship and selflessness in athletic competition. Applications for the 2026 Sportsmanship Scholarship are now being accepted, with a total of $15,000 in scholarship funds available this year. A top scholarship winner will receive $10,000. The application packet is available at sportsmanship.org/scholarship. Applications must be received by April 14, 2026.
In all, there have been 72 recipients of the Carl Fricks Sportsmanship Scholarship since it started in 2009, and a total of $237,000 in scholarships awarded.
Throughout its existence, the scholarship has been awarded to a diverse cross-section of young people from throughout the St. Louis region. Some have gone on to excel in collegiate sports, while others have achieved academically and have made an impact in their chosen professional paths. All of them have undoubtedly fit the mold the scholarship seeks to reward: Young people who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship and respect directed at opponents, officials, and the spirit of the game. Bios profiling all previous recipients can be viewed by clicking here.
Scholarship candidates should be nominated for embodying the ideals and values of sportsmanship – honesty, integrity, civility, selflessness, kindness, compassion, and class – on the playing field. Those connected to athletic teams, such as student managers and cheerleaders, are also eligible for the scholarship should their leadership and behavior represent an extraordinary model.
The Sportsmanship Scholarship is a program of the St. Louis Sports Foundation, the Sports Commission’s 501c3 charitable affiliate. The Sports Foundation celebrates and elevates sportsmanship in the community. Funding for the Sportsmanship Scholarship comes from donations and fundraising events. Recipients are selected by the Sports Foundation’s Carl Fricks Sportsmanship Scholarship Committee.
The Sportsmanship Scholarship is named in honor of the late Carl Fricks, who embodied the virtues of sportsmanship. Through this gesture, the Sports Commission recognized the selfless efforts of Carl’s daughter, Holly Yoakum, who was a chair of the scholarship committee and a champion for the sportsmanship initiative. Holly passed away unexpectedly in 2017, leaving so many friends and colleagues heartbroken. The Sports Commission is dedicated to honoring Holly’s memory and legacy by growing the Carl Fricks Sportsmanship Scholarship and carrying out her passion for doing good in the community.