The Jack North Award is the highest honor the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union awards to an individual. The award has been given just 15 times in the 87-year history of the IGHSAU. Mike Stanley of Avoca is the 16th recipient of the award.

Stanley has been active with the IGHSAU for many years. He served on the IGHSAU Representative Council and the IGHSAU Board of Directors from 1995 to 2004. Since his retirement, Stanley has been part of the bench crew at the State Basketball Tournament and is a diamond supervisor at the State Softball Tournament. He is also a member of the E. Wayne Cooley Scholarship jury.

Stanley, a native of Sidney, graduated from Tarkio College in 1970 and received his Master’s Degree from Northwest Missouri State. He served as teacher and school administrator at Carson-Macedonia, Midland, Underwood, Malvern and Bedford before his last stop at A-H-S-T, serving as the school’s athletic director and principal until his retirement in 2004.

Stanley has been recognized as one of the top track & field starters in Iowa, serving as a starter of over 30 Iowa State Track & Field Meets. He is a member of the Iowa Association of Track Officials Hall of Fame and the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Officials Hall of Fame. Stanley’s years of service as an activities director was also recognized by the Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association, who inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2005.

Mike and his wife Michaele are the parents of three sons; Sean, Dave and Tim, and are grandparents to Mackenzie and Graham.