The All Sports Association was started by Colonel Al Byrne, who believed the youth in Northwest Florida should have the coaching, leadership, and facilities needed to participate in sports.

The Colonel Al Byrne Award was established to honor those who share his beliefs and who put those beliefs into action.

The Colonel Al Byrne Award was presented to Dalton Threadgill on February 23, 2024, at the 55th All Sports
Association Awards Banquet. Dalton’s son Ron accepted the award for his father, who died in 1988. Threadgill
was honored for his work with youth sports in Destin.

Dalton and his wife Peggy moved to Destin in 1963 from Scottsboro, Alabama, where he coached high school
football. He came to Destin to teach math and science at Destin Elementary School.

Dalton started building a baseball field from scratch his first summer in Destin, with the first games played
in the spring of 1964. The Destin Little League Baseball program was officially chartered in the 1972 season, with
Dalton serving as President for the first 15 years.

The current Destin Little League park is named in his honor. Dalton also started the first Destin little league football team, the Destin Dolphins. Dalton did more than coach — he was an umpire for baseball, a referee for football, the bus driver, … he did it all. For his decades of service to the youth in our community, All Sports is pleased to recognize Dalton Threadgill as the recipient of the 2024 Al Byrne award.