Ralph Stokes, an accomplished Atlanta businessman and a former Alabama football player, is the recipient of the National Black Journalists’ Sam Lacy Pioneer Award.
Stokes has a long and successful career in the golf industry. He was the first Black president of the Georgia State Golf Association and currently serves as the vice president of social impact partnerships and community relations at PGA Tour Superstore.
Advertisement
Stokes grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, and was one of the first Black scholarship players for Alabama and coach Paul “Bear” Bryant in the early 1970s. Once his athletic career ended – with three SEC titles and a 1973 national championship – Stokes was an insurance executive who made his way to Atlanta and has made significant contributions to golf.
At PGA Tour Superstore, Stokes helps expand access to the game through partnerships with First Tee, the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA Tour), the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), and the PGA of America REACH Foundation,
The Pioneer Award, named for Hall of Fame baseball writer Sam Lacy, is given to individuals who display a “lifelong commitment to expanding access, opportunity, and representation in sport and culture.”
Advertisement
“I am humbled to receive the Sam Lacy Pioneer Award, which honors the legacy of a man who helped tell the story of integration in professional sports, and to join such distinguished honorees,” Stokes said in a press release. “I am grateful to NABJ for this recognition, and for my family and the many people who have supported and encouraged me, and who have taught me the importance of perseverance and the difference we can make in the lives of others.”
Other 2026 Sam Lacy Pioneer Award winners include Olympic track & field gold-medalist Edwin Moses; WNBA champions Maya Moore, Renee Montgomery and Angel McCoughtry; sports journalists D. Orlando Ledbetter and Terence Moore; filmmaker Spike Lee and the family of late baseball legend Hank Aaron.
Read the full article here