The Land O’ Lakes Gators Athletics Foundation recently added five new members to the school’s athletics Hall of Fame, during a dinner ceremony.
The inductees for the 2019 class were: Stacy Bishop, a record-setting girls soccer player from 1999 to 2003; Jerry Brewster, a state qualifying wrestler and team MVP in 1986; John Childers III, an All-Conference basketball standout in the mid 1980s; Vicky King, longtime varsity girls soccer coach; and Mike McBride, an All-State football player and standout wrestler from 1989 to 1993.
The ceremony marked the school’s seventh Hall of Fame induction class, which began in 2013 after the Gators Athletics Foundation was established as a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer and Florida Gators All-American receiver Reidel Anthony served as the keynote speaker for the May 16 induction ceremony.
The foundation’s purpose is to “raise funds through donations and fundraising events for the direct benefit of the athletic programs at Land O’ Lakes High School.”
The mission of the foundation is to enhance the athletic programs at Land O’ Lakes by providing additional funds for facilities, uniforms, transportation and other athletic program needs not covered by traditional school funding.
Here’s a closer look at this year’s inductees:
Stacy Bishop: Female Athlete
Stacy Bishop (Class of ’03) was an All-County and All-District soccer player all four years at Land O’ Lakes, where she registered 192 goals (still a Pasco County record) along with 90 assists. In addition to those accolades, Bishop in 2003 was named Pasco County Athlete of the Year and recognized as an National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Academic All-American.
Bishop went on to play Division I collegiate soccer at Louisiana State University and Florida, developing into a first-team All-American and MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist (annually given to the nation’s top collegiate soccer player).
Following her collegiate career, Bishop played professional soccer in the Women’s Professional Soccer league, earning stints with the Boston Breakers and Atlanta Beat franchises, respectively.
Vicky King: Coach/Administrator
Vicky King has been a coach at Land O’ Lakes for 33 years, since she joined the school in the mid-1980s.
In her lengthy career, King has racked up a number of achievements coaching both girls soccer and athletes with special needs.
In varsity girls soccer, King is the longest tenured and winningest coach in Pasco County, with a career record of 509 wins, 198 ties and 75 losses. That includes a state championship in 2003 and four other state semifinals appearances (2004, 2015-2017).
Meanwhile, King in 2015 guided the Land O’ Lakes unified soccer team (which joins athletes with and without disabilities) to represent Team USA at the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, which yielded a bronze medal when the team defeated China 2-1. That year she was also named Florida Special Olympics Coach of the Year.
Jerry Brewster: Lifetime Achievement Award
Jerry Brewster (Class of ’86) was a member of both the football and wrestling team at Land O’ Lakes. Among his biggest accomplishments in athletics came on the mat — qualifying for the state wrestling tournament and earning team MVP honors his senior year. He went on to wrestle collegiately for a short time at College of DuPage in Illinois before continuing his education to earn a bachelor’s degree at University of South Florida and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Tampa.
Upon graduating with his MBA, Brewster has embarked on a career in the wealth management industry, building one the leading wealth management groups in the Tampa Bay area. He was named a 2019 Best-In-State Wealth Advisor by Forbes Magazine, becoming the only wealth advisor in Pasco County to receive the honor.
Aside from his professional career, Brewster has a maintained presence in the Pasco community.
In recent years, he has served on the board of directors of HCA Regional Medical Center-Bayonet Point, Chasco Fiesta, and Rotary Club of New Port Richey. He also has been the auction chairman of the Rotary Club of New Port Richey’s annual Wild Game Dinner for over a decade.
Brewster was instrumental in helping to establish the Land O’ Lakes High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.
John Childers III: Lifetime Achievement Award
John Childers III (Class of ’86) played both basketball and baseball at Land O’ Lakes, with some of his biggest achievements coming on the hardwood.
In three seasons on the varsity basketball team, Childers III earned team MVP honors and was a second team All-Gulf Coast Conference selection. He went on to receive a full basketball scholarship to Pasco-Hernando Community College where he was a two-year starter.
Professionally, Childers III advanced through the ranks at Chase Bank and eventually started his own mortgage solution company in 2001, JCIII & Associates Inc. The company grew to 650 employees before being sold in 2015.
Through the company, Childers III helped contribute more than six figures to local charitable causes, such as Moffitt Cancer Center, Derrick Brooks Charities, and others.
Even well into his professional career, Childers III would still attend Land O’ Lakes athletic events and supported various athletic programs. He also helped spearhead the Land O’ Lakes Athletic Hall of Fame with other volunteers.
Mike McBride: Male Athlete
Mike McBride (Class of ’93) was a football and wrestling standout at Land O’ Lakes, earning All-State honors in the former and All-District honors in the latter, while also competing in track and field.
On the gridiron, McBride starred as a two-way lineman to become the school’s first All-State football player in 1992 — and is currently one of just five Land O’ Lakes football players to have earned the All-State designation all-time.
On the mat, McBride qualified and finished at or near the top in a number of local, regional and state tournaments. That included a 29-3 mark his senior season, where he won a district individual championship and placed third at regionals, along with collecting individual titles at the East Lake and Springstead Invitational meets.
McBride’s father, Charlie McBride, was inducted into the Land O’ Lakes Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015, for his contributions as a coach and teacher. It marks the first father-son combo to be inducted into the school’s athletics Hall of fame.
Past Land O’ Lakes Athletics Hall of Fame inductees
2018
- William Gebauer
- Jeff Hendrix
- Don Meredith
- Kirk Peterson
- Karla Walsh Graziano
2017
- Allen Claggett
- Desiree Croteau
- Doug Hutchinson
- Michael Keough
- Stephen Querns
2016
- 2002-2003 girls soccer team
- Jerry English
- Lt. Col. Rhett Hierlmeier
- Dianne McClendon
- Phil Teston
2015
- Kevin Dowling
- Kenny Gorman
- Charlie McBride
- Sharmine McCreary
- David Singleton
2014
- John Benedetto
- Dennis Blankenship
- RJ McKenna
- Tina McWithey
- Will Weatherford
2013
- Colleen Bentz
- Tim Harvey
- Kenneth McCurry
- Robert Shirmohammad
- Henry Walls
Published June 12, 2019
