Former OU and Dallas Cowboys football head coach Barry Switzer has won national championships and a Super Bowl, and Tuesday night he will add another honor to his vast trophy case.

Switzer has been named the recipient of the 2009 John F. Kennedy Community Service Award by the Oklahoma chapter of the Knights of Columbus, and will receive the honor at a 6 p.m. banquet at Our Lady’s Cathedral in Oklahoma City.

Knights of Columbus, a 126-year-old Catholic organization with 1.7 million members, named the award in honor of the only Catholic U.S. president.

Former Gov. David Walters, who serves as president of the Knights of Columbus Building Corporation of Oklahoma City, said Switzer is receiving the award because of his service with the Special Olympics of Oklahoma over the past four decades.

“One of the things folks don’t appreciate about Coach Switzer is how much he’s done beyond athletics,” Walters said. “He’s been head coach for the Special Olympics and attended all the Special Olympics games, and has traveled with them all across the U.S.”

Walters said the former coach has always been well-received at Special Olympics events in Stillwater, despite his history coaching against the Cowboys.

“I always found it ironic that he’s always been warmly received in Stillwater, given his enormously successful athletic record in Stillwater, but it’s an indication of his good work,” Walters said.

The award ceremony and dinner will benefit the Santa Fe Family Life Center in Oklahoma City, which is owned by the Knights of Columbus Building Corporation of Oklahoma City and the Uniting Our Community Campaign.

The guest list for the event reads like a who’s who of the OU athletics program, and includes current head football coach Bob Stoops, athletic director Joe Castiglione and Heisman Trophy winners Billy Simms and Steve Owens.

Individual tickets for the event cost $150, and table reservations for eight range from $2,000 to $5,000.

Long-time Oklahoma event promoter Lee Allan Smith will present the award to Switzer.