Coach Randy Burbach, from Corbett Middle School, organized the awards night at Jantzen Beach Hooters in the Portland area, but the choice of location quickly sparked outrage in the community.
The Hooters brand is known for waitresses in skimpy uniforms, and the Facebook page for the Jantzen Beach restaurant is plastered with well-endowed, bikini-clad women.
Fifteen of the 23 Corbett Middle School football players attended the event Saturday afternoon, Oregonlive.com reports, after being driven to the event in a stretch limo.
Entering the Hooters parking lot, they were greeted by a crowd of cheering Hooters waitresses.
"[I'm] not allowing myself to be bullied by a vocal minority, is the war I want to win," Coach Randall Burbach told KGW News last week.
He said he asked the boys where they wanted to have their awards dinner and they chose Hooters. His own children had a positive experience there at age 12, he said.
Hooters even offered to pay for the awards banquet, CBS Atlanta reports, and will donate $1,000, plus 20 percent of Saturday's sales, to the Corbett Booster Club.
Burbach told Oregonlive that some players had other commitments, while others didn't attend because of moral concerns.
He told KGW he didn't choose Hooters for its sexual overtones and believes it is perfectly appropriate for families.
"I believe this is a fine venue," Burbach told Oregonlive.com. "It's not a strip club. If you have a dirty mind, you'll find dirt."
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