121st Annual Dinner

About The Annual Dinner

Our 121st Annual Dinner will take place on March 27, 2025.

Our Key Note Speaker – Coach Donnie Campbell

If the word “believe” resonates with you, it means that you are probably a diehard fan of the hit series Ted Lasso, which portrays a football coach from Kansas who is hired to be the head coach of the English Premier Soccer League’s AFC Richmond. But did you know that there was a real inspiration behind this award-winning show?

Coach Donnie Campbell is a math teacher and a high school basketball coach from Kansas who was plucked out of obscurity when Jason Sudeikis, the American actor and star of the 5-time Emmy Award-winning show, revealed that he was the impetus for the beloved lead character (he was Jason’s basketball coach back in the late 90s at Shawnee Mission West).

Donnie never would’ve imagined that all the pearls of wisdom he was dropping on Jason and the team would not only appear years later but make an indelible impression on millions around the world.

Today, Donnie has been busy making appearances on local and national television, including Good Morning America and The Today Show. In addition to teaching, he is now speaking to organizations and companies about leadership and, specifically, how important it is to instill strong values in the people you work with. He credits his leadership skills to his always-positive attitude and to his mentors who prepared him for success both in the classroom and as a coach.

Donnie graduated from Lyons High School in 1980 and attended Kansas State University on a football scholarship, playing basketball during his freshman year. For the past 36 years, he has coached and taught math, but more importantly, he has been building the confidence and character of the young men and women who have played for him.

2024 Scholarship Winners

Sarah Nunamaker, Hannah Pais, Megan Merola, Isabelle Layding, Olivia Greene, Madeline Dorish, Alivia Clawson, Garrett Callenberger, Shareef Awadallah, George Petrus.