Sponsors – The Frank Horton

2023 Sponsors

Thank you for your interest in providing sponsorship for The Frank Horton

Frank Horton was commonly addressed as Coach. He left his mark within the Memphis running community as he not only volunteered his time at Christian Brothers High School for over 13 years where he guided the boys to Tennessee State Champions in 1982, the only title in CBHS cross country history, but Coach also started the Tuesday night track workouts at the University of Memphis every Tuesday to offer insight for runners ranging from average community-goers to Olympic-level athletes. These Tuesday night track workouts have been continuously held by another local running/tennis enthusiast, Paul Sax.

Horton’s involvement within the community didn’t stop there. He was the individual primarily responsible for creation of the Memphis Marathon and when Memphis was selected for the site for the World Police and Fire Games in 1991, they used the cross country course at Shelby Farms Park designed and setup by Coach. In fact, Coach certified all road races within Memphis up until his death, ensuring course accuracy and that they complied with the national body governing race course certification.

CBHS started the Frank Horton Cross Country Invitational in his honor in 1989. Since 1988, the Memphis Runners Track Club hands out the Frank Horton Award for Volunteerism each year, which recognizes exceptional volunteering within the running community. He is in the CBHS Hall of Fame and Hernando-DeSoto Baseball Hall of Fame. And in 1990, Coach won the Golden Shoe Award posthumously from Runner’s World Magazine which recognizes service to the running community. His impact on the Memphis area running community has been far reaching and long lasting.

Memphis Youth Athletics is proud to continue this great event, and we look forward to making it happen each and every year! We hope this answers any questions you may have and we are excited to work with you!

Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Sincerely,
Kelley Grusin
Race Director

Sponsorship Levels

We have various sponsorship levels available, each offering unique opportunities for promoting your business while supporting our event.

$250 – Light Tower on the course. Covers half the expense of one (1) light tower and the fuel to run it. The sponsor’s name and logo will be displayed on one tower. Does not include the towers in the Start area or Festival Arena. 60 available
$500 – Light Tower in the Festival Arena or Start area. Provides one (1) light tower for the event and the fuel to run it. The sponsor’s name and logo will be displayed on one tower. 10 available.
$2,500 – Athlete Village. The sponsor’s name will be added to the name of the village on all printed and online materials. It will also be displayed at the entrance to the Athlete’s Village. 1 available
$5,000 – VIP Tent Sponsor. The sponsor’s name will be added to the name of the VIP Tent on all printed and online materials. It will also be displayed at the entrance to the VIP Tent. 1 available
$10,000 – Title Sponsor. The sponsor’s name will be included in the event title on all printed and online materials. It will also be displayed throughout the event area including the finish line, start line and awards stage.

The Small Print

In-kind donations: goods and services for which the retail, fair market or purchase value equals the amount in question. All in kind donation requests are subject to approval by the MYA Board.

A sponsorship donation can be made up of a combination of cash and in-kind donations if applicable.

For t-shirts, banners and other printed or web-based marketing, it is the sponsor’s responsibility to provide logo, art, or product/service description.

All advertising/marketing opportunities provided by MYA will be in effect after full sponsorship payment has been received unless specified otherwise in a written agreement.

MYA does not offer exclusive sponsorship rights under the above-mentioned opportunities; however, a special arrangement can be discussed with the sponsorship committee and would be taken under consideration by the MYA board if so desired. A whole new pricing and benefits structure would take effect.

We offer our sponsorships to the community at large on a first come – first served basis. There is no limit to the number of sponsors unless specifically negotiated and agreed upon by the MYA Board.

MYA reserves the right of refusal of a sponsorship proposal that may not be an appropriate fit for our organization as determined by the MYA Board.

Please reach out to sponsorship@thehorton901.org for more information on sponsorships.