The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association is proud to announce that Fran Guilbault of St. Henry High School is the recipient of the 1991 Paul Walker Award. The Paul Walker Award is presented annually by the OHSBCA to an active coaching member of the association who has made significant contributions to high school basketball. The award is named in honor of the late Paul Walker, the long time coach of Middletown High School. At the time of his retirement, he had the most wins as a boys basketball coach in Ohio High School Basketball history.

He was born and raised in Ontonagon, Michigan on the Upper Peninsula. After high school graduation, he entered the U.S. Marine Corps serving on the U.S.S. Hornet in the Far East. Graduating in 1960 from Western Michigan with a B.S. Degree, he attended Ohio University on an assistantship and earned his Masters in Education in 1961.

Among honors his teams achieved: Ranked 1st in State Poll twice; ranked in Top Ten – twelve times; 20 or more wins – 11 times; 15 or more wins – 25 times; undefeated regular season in 1978-79. The coaching honors he received include: League Coach of the Year 11 times; District 8 Coach of the Year six times; AP Coach of the Year, 1980; UPI Coach of the Year, 1991; Coach District 8 All-Star Game, 1979; and he coached Ohio North-South All-Star Game, 1979.

Fran and wife, Mary Lou, have been married 42 years and have seven children; Craig, Michelle, Karen, Stevie, Julie, and Gary. They have 23 grandchildren.