At just 17 years old, Fort Worth ISD Paschal High School student Jamie Erwin was ambitious, tenacious and athletic. 

Like many of her classmates, Erwin balanced academics with sports — except she was a 4.0 student and standout athlete.

From winning track races to excelling on the volleyball court, her high school successes stuck with her. But the most formative experience of her high school career is more than just a memory — it has followed Erwin into her adult life.

Erwin, an obstetrician/gynecologist who stepped into the spotlight when she delivered the first gorilla to be born via C-section in the Fort Worth Zoo’s 115-year history, is on the committee of the Davey O’Brien Scholars Award. Every year, she helps select a new generation of standout student athletes who demonstrate not only exceptional performance in sports but also strong leadership in their communities. 

Erwin won the award herself in 1998 — a pivotal moment that helped shape her future.

“What a gift,” Erwin said. “Truly life-changing. Truly opened doors and set me up for success in my life.”

The Davey O’Brien Foundation has awarded a high school scholarship to exceptional student athletes across North Texas since 1986, focusing on students’ scholastic achievements, community service, character, leadership and, most notably, varsity sports participation. 

Each year, the winner receives a $30,000 scholarship while another four students are honored with $5,000 scholarships. The scholarship is available to students in Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant or Wise counties who participate in any varsity sport for an accredited public or private high school. Students must earn an SAT score of at least 1100 or an ACT score of at least 22. 

Winners have attended institutions such as Columbia University, Harvard University and Stanford University after accepting the scholarship.

“We are impressed again and again at the achievements of these young people and how well they’re doing in school,” David O’Brien said. “We want campuses to showcase that.”

O’Brien is a well-known name throughout North Texas and in Fort Worth. He is the son of TCU football legend Davey O’Brien, who was born and raised in Dallas but made his name as a Horned Frog when he enrolled in 1935. By 1938, Davey O’Brien won TCU a national championship and was its first — and still its only — athlete to win college football’s premier individual award, the Heisman Trophy. 

Today, besides the annual high school scholarship, the Davey O’Brien Foundation also recognizes the collegiate American football player judged to be the best of all NCAA quarterbacks. Jayden Daniels, a former Louisiana State University quarterback who now plays for the NFL’s Washington Commanders, is that award’s most recent winner. TCU’s Max Duggan won in 2022. 

“My father was a very modest man and many times he said TCU did much more for him than he did for TCU,” O’Brien said. “I still think the high school award would be the part of the foundation that he would most esteem. He would be really proud of this.”

One application is sent to each public and private high school in all participating counties, said Morgan Hixon, the director of scholarship and community engagement for the Davey O’Brien Foundation. 

The schools must pick one student athlete to nominate, Hixon said. Erwin and O’Brien are sure that restriction makes it difficult for some campuses, but there’s no reason not to participate, they said.

Out of the nearly 350 high schools the application is sent to, about one-third of them respond, Hixon said. Each year, the organization aims for more submissions.

The foundation is on the lookout for more applicants from Tarrant County’s largest school district, Fort Worth ISD, O’Brien said. 

“We certainly hope to see more than last year,” O’Brien said. “I think some of that is caused by the turnover of principals and counselors, but we would certainly hope that, if there is an outstanding young man or young woman out there, that the school recognizes them by nominating them.”

The process to select the winner involves more than just an application. Five student athletes are elected for a round of in-person interviews conducted by the foundation’s committee.

“I mean, when I was 18 years old, if I had to do an interview for 30 minutes at a downtown club with a bunch of older folks … There’s a poise and maturity that, I’m thinking, that’s not how I was at 18,” O’Brien said.

The process ensures that the scholarship goes to a student athlete who not only excels in sports but also demonstrates a strong commitment to their community, O’Brien said.

Those interviews are reflective of the foundation’s — and his father’s — mission to cultivate leaders in both sports and in life. 

Since its inception in Fort Worth in 1977, the Davey O’Brien Foundation has distributed over $1.3 million in scholarships and university grants. The organization also fosters a network of past recipients who often return to the foundation as mentors and role models, Erwin said.

Erwin is proud to be a part of this legacy, she said. After her career as a heptathlete at the University of Arkansas, which was supported by a full academic scholarship from the college, Erwin pursued a medical career. 

She used the $30,000 scholarship from the Davey O’Brien Foundation to pay for her medical school education at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. 

“I know it was a gift from the Lord, just laying out a path for me and just going for it,” Erwin said.

Each year, the foundation invites all scholarship recipients back to Fort Worth for a celebratory luncheon and the Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner, where the new winners are honored and celebrated. 

The two events not only celebrate the student athletes’ achievements but connect them with a community that continues to support them long after their classmates have stopped cheering from the bleachers, O’Brien said.

“We have a base of supporters,” he said. “And, it’s amazing how much they’ve done in their various communities.”

Participating high schools should have already received the application, Hixon said. If not, she invited inquisitive campuses to reach out to the foundation. Curious parents should also reach out to their campuses, she said. The application opened Aug. 9 and runs until Oct. 4. 

“These are all highly accomplished young people, but they still live in a very troubled world. What they’ve been able to do just blows me away every time,” O’Brien said.

Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @MatthewSgroi1. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.