After years spent shaping opportunities for Utah’s high school student-athletes, Tom Sherwood and Craig Morris received one of the highest honors given by the Utah High School Activities Association. In January, the longtime education and athletic leaders received the UHSAA Distinguished Service Award for 2025.

The Distinguished Service Award honors those who sustained leadership has made a lasting impact on high school athletics, said Rob Cluff, UHSAA executive director. 

For Sherwood and Morris, the recognition reflects years of committee work, advocacy and the aspiration to improve experiences for students statewide. 

Sherwood, Canyons School District’s director of high schools, was nominated by region 6, where he previously served as Jordan and Brighton high schools’ principal and was a volunteer UHSAA executive committee member for 12 years. He also was on the association’s board of trustees for four years.

“The award is for our contribution,” Sherwood said. “It’s nice to be recognized, but it’s definitely not why I do it. I do this because I really enjoy being involved with teenagers and high school athletics.”

During his tenure with UHSAA, he helped to expand opportunities for students by supporting the sanctioning of new sports and activities.

“I helped lacrosse and cheer become sanctioned sports,” he said. “Most recently, I helped get esports sanctioned as an activity, which I think was important because it reaches a new and growing segment of our kids. It helps them find connections to school and other kids with like interests.”

Sherwood, who as a student played football for Bingham High, said high school sport and activities provide life lessons that extend beyond the competition.

“I think for a lot of kids, they don’t know what they’re capable of until they get someone who tries to push them to be a better version of themselves,” he said. 

Both Sherwood and Morris emphasized the educational value of high school athletics, citing teamwork, commitment and personal growth as key benefits for students.

Morris, who currently serves as Waterford School’s associate athletic director and played football, basketball and lacrosse when he was a student, was equally taken aback by the honor. 

“I was very surprised,” he said. “I had no idea it was coming, but I’m really honored. The award is there to show appreciation for those who have given good service over the years — and it means a lot to me that I would be thought of in that regard and feel like my contributions have made a difference.”

This is the second UHSAA award he has received. In 2023, he received the Athletic Director of the Year for 2022.

The former Waterford athletic director, who stepped to the associate position this year after more than 30 years, served a dozen years as an UHSAA executive committee member and also served on the board of trustees, was an advocate for lacrosse and helped develop a formal process for sanctioning new sports.

“I was heavily involved with lacrosse and getting it sanctioned even before I got on the executive committee,” Morris said. “But it was certainly nice to be the voice in the room when we got closer to making that happen.”

The process later helped guide the sanctioning of additional sports and activities, including boys volleyball and esports.

“It’s good to see those opportunities expanded for kids throughout the state,” he said.

Morris said serving on the committee was a great opportunity to be involved in athletics and activities throughout the state and make decisions which would affect student-athletes, both in small private schools such as Waterford and the larger public schools. 

“I appreciated my role as a private school representative, to have a voice for the smaller schools in the state and try to do things that would work well with our counterparts,” he said.

For Sherwood and Morris, the recognition shows an appreciation for the years supporting students, coaches and schools from behind the scenes.

“It’s gratitude — I’m thankful to be recognized, but the experience has been its own reward,” Sherwood said. “You couldn't ask for a group of finer people then those I met serving on the board of trustees and executive committee. They’re exceptional people, with like minds in terms of wanting to give their time and talents to make things better for kids.”