Inductees

In 2019, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes – fresh off a Super Bowl victory – traveled to the Ozarks to help fundraise for the Boys & Girls Club of Springfield.

That evening, auctioneer David Coutchie proved to be a wizard. An autographed football was to go for $6,000 – until Coutchie encouraged Mahomes to throw a football to the winner. He sold two at $10,000 each, and then got the QB to agree to throw any already signed footballs for $1,000 apiece. That led to several more thousands raised.

“It was his first year (as a starter) and he was the MVP,” Coutchie said. “It was just a lot of fun.”

Call it a glimpse into his wonderful work, which extends to hundreds of charitable causes across the Ozarks. That includes the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, which proudly honored Coutchie with the President’s Award during the 2024 Enshrinement presented by Wilson Logistics.

The President’s Award is bestowed on individuals who champion the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and sports in the state in general. Coutchie has done just that since 2010 for the Hall of Fame.

The owner of Advantage Auction, which specializes in real estate and estates, Coutchie has enhanced the Hall of Fame by working auctions pro bono. That’s led to hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for the Hall of Fame, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit that, throughout its 29-year history, has not applied for state or federal funding.

Coutchie has appeared at luncheons, the Hall of Fame’s summer party, the Stan Musial Hall of Fame Championship presented by Landau Pontoons, as well as the Golf Ball Charity Auction – an auction for the 50-plus charities of the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper. The Hall of Fame manages the Price Cutter tournament.

“I met David following the untimely death of Wes Wester in 2006 who had been doing all of our auction work,” said Jerald Andrews, the former longtime CEO & Executive Director of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. “David started doing our work in 2010 with the June auction and has probably done all of our auctions since that time. He was always willing to help and never asked for anything in return.”

A student-athlete at Seymour High School from 1996 to 2000, he earned All-State honors five times – three times in Class 1 in golf (1998, 1999, 2000) and twice in basketball in Class 2 (1999 and 2000). Coutchie ended his career with nearly 2,200 points and was one of only two unanimous selections of the Class 2 All-State team. He also won the Class 1 state title in golf as a senior.

He later played basketball and golf at Southwest Baptist from 2000 to 2004 and remains one of the all-time leaders in 3-pointers in program history.

“I had a pretty good career at SBU,” Coutchie said. “I matured in my time there, and it helped me know who I was going to be.”

Coutchie went into real estate and, at the urging of friends, took up auctioneering in 2007. Little did he know that an organization whose museum sits just 30 minutes from his old high school would call on him for his auctioneering skills.

“I drive by (the Hall of Fame) three or four times a week minimum,” Coutchie said. “It’s a well-run organization, and I’m pretty choosy on where I’m going to spend my time.”

Said Coutchie, “My charity is helping charities, to help raise money and help them prosper. For a lot of them, I’ve helped organize their events.”

Coutchie has no idea of the amount of dollars he’s helped raise over the years, or the number of charities he has auctioned for.

In fact, there are a number of private auctions that the general public will never know about – such as fundraisers for sickly individuals in need of medical funds.

Best of all, he knows the money is staying local.

“That is big to me,” Coutchie said. “I’m kind of a sucker for a children’s charity, but if it’s for a good cause, I’ll help. The thing about the Ozarks, people are willing to give.”

Coutchie thanks so many over the years for setting him up for success: his parents, past coaches and those in the business world of the Ozarks.

Even better, he’s long had the support of his wife Lori. They are parents to Evan, Adam and Leah.

“I’ve really been fortunate to have a lot of great people around me,” Coutchie said.