CdM football boosters plan for annual Jack Elliott Character Award ceremony

Head football coach Dan O’Shea talks about Jack Johnston, the first winner of the Jack Elliott Character Award last August. (File photo: OC Sports Zone, Tim Burt).

Corona del Mar High School football boosters announced this week that the Jack Elliott Character Award Ceremony will be held on Friday, Aug. 5 at 5 p.m. at the CdM on-campus football stadium.

The award has been given annually to the player who “embodies strong character and a commitment to his team,” officials said.

The player, a senior, will be introduced and will wear the number two jersey that Elliott wore, according to Scott Brown of the CdM Football Boosters.

The 2020 recipient was Jack Johnston and last year’s winner was Jake Simkins. CdM Coach Dan O’Shea will make the presentation.

“We want to keep the wonderful memory of Jack Elliott alive every day here at Corona del Mar football,” O’Shea said last year.

Both Johnston and Simkins received a $1,000 scholarship.

After playing football at CdM, Elliott attended school at Texas Christian University where he was majoring in business but not playing football. Elliott died in 2019 just two months into the school year, his father Brett Elliott said.

Last year’s ceremony was the first one held by CdM and honored the first two recipients.

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com