2005 Citizen of the Year
Recipient

Coach Tolbert addresses the club following his presentation as the 2005 Citizen of the Year

Coach Frank Tolbert, head basketball coach at Auburn High School is the 2005 recipient of Auburn Rotary Club's Citizen of the Year Award. Tolbert was nominated for and received this distinction for his 35 years of service to the Auburn community. The club was fortunate to have many of the former recipients of this honor, as well as some of their family members, in attendance to join in this year's recognition.

During Tolbert's tenure as coach, he has instilled the ideals of sportsmanship, teamwork, citizenship and academic excellence among his player-students at Auburn High. Rotarian Jim Brandt presented Coach Tolbert with his commemorative plaque, while his brother Chris Brandt, who serves under Tolbert as a former-player-now-assistant-coach, spoke about this year's basketball team, playing for Coach Tolbert himself, and his observations of Tolbert's coaching and mentoring styles.

Tolbert's Auburn career began in 1969 at Drake High School, and includes coaching football, wrestling, girls' basketball and girls' track — the latter earning a state championship under his leadership. He was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame early 2005. He has served as a head boys' basketball coach for 25 years — 22 of which have been at Auburn High.

The honoree noted his believe in high standards, both athletically and academically by saying, "Auburn High doesn't have a basketball team, we have a program. God comes first, family second, education third, and basketball fourth."