Blessed Trinity High School honored its athletic director and former head football coach, Ricky Turner, during halftime of the school’s Aug. 19 varsity football game against Buford High School. Turner received an honorary diploma in recognition of his service to the school and its athletic program since the school’s founding in 2000. He is the first BT faculty member to receive such an honor.

He stepped down this year from that role but remains athletic director, where he has overseen the development of 22 BT varsity athletic programs over the past decade. In less than 10 years of competing at the varsity level, Blessed Trinity has won 21 state championships. In 2010, he was named Georgia Athletic Director of the Year.

“When one thinks of Blessed Trinity, one of the first aspects that come to mind, after academic excellence, is our accomplishments in athletics,” said Frank Moore, principal. “This is especially significant in that we’ve been open for only 12 years, yet our teams are consistently among the top teams, not only in the region, but in the state. Much of this accomplishment is a direct result of the efforts and hard work of Coach Turner.”