Aubre Dickson

First and foremost, I want to thank The Most High for giving me the desire to participate in sports and the talent and ability to perform at a high level - for even being considered for an honor as amazing as this.

I want to thank both of my late parents: my father, Arthur, for setting the foundation and legacy of multi-sport athletics and exposing me to everything from baseball to track and field, basketball, and football. I didn't start playing football until 8th grade, but I grew up loving it and became a huge San Francisco 49ers and Jerry Rice fan. Since my father was from San Francisco, we often made the 10-hour drive to visit family there growing up. He was also my baseball coach and taught me how to pitch. He was a pitcher himself in high school and got drafted by the KC Royals, but chose his first love, football, and a scholarship to Portland State instead. He was a tough critic and difficult to please, but I know he was proud of the success I had in both football and track. He taught dedication and hard work, and he never missed a game.

My mother, Dorothy, was my biggest fan and cheerleader. She also sacrificed so much for me and my brother, making sure we always had what we needed, even if that meant denying herself. She taught us the value of loving others as yourself, and that you are blessed to be a blessing. She was a standout in track and field in high school herself and loved sports too - being from San Bernardino, she rocked the Lakers, Raiders, and Dodgers. She also never missed a game.

I want to thank all the coaches I had the pleasure of playing for. I'm biased, but I think we had the best set of coaches at Benson: Coaches Bill Dressel, Bill Ranta (who also coached baseball), and Leon McKenzie in football, and Coaches McKenzie and John Mays in track and field. All these coaches have the resumes to back it up, including as PIL Hall of Fame inductees themselves.

Lastly, I want to thank all my teammates who are very much a part of my success. To Jerry Bushman, thank you for throwing me the football and for our connection on and off the field - I still remember the preseason training sessions with my friends from Clackamas, putting in work together before the season even started. And to my ace, Dominique Merriweather, who I built an unbreakable bond with from our first day of freshman year: you were my biggest supporter and hype man in football, and my biggest competitor and best teammate, pushing me daily in track. You were my 3rd leg and I was the anchor in the short relay; I was your 3rd leg and you were the anchor in the mile relay. We won a lot of races and won a state championship together. I am extremely grateful for your friendship and brotherhood.

And to the rest of my teammates, friends, and family - you made high school the best years of my life as an athlete. I will forever cherish the memories, and again, I am so humbled by this recognition.

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