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Tony Gwynn
Major League Baseball Career Achievement Award
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As a baseball player, coach, humanitarian, husband and father, Tony has always personified consistency. A member of the San Diego Padres for his entire 20-year career, the 15-time All-Star was renowned for his patience at the plate. Tony collected 3,141 career hits and 790 walks against just 434 strikeouts. One of only four players in history to bat .350 or better in five consecutive seasons, Tony won a record-tying eight National League batting titles and seven Sporting News Silver Slugger Awards. He also collected five gold gloves as an outfielder and made 11 All-Star starts at the position, tying the major league record. Remarkable as he was as a player, Tony’s off-the-field accomplishments are perhaps even more impressive. Tony has been nationally recognized for his commitment to community service in the San Diego area. He and his wife Alicia established the Tony Gwynn Foundation to help fund charities supporting children in need. Organizations such as Casa de Amparo Child Abuse Shelter, Neighborhood House, YMCA, and the Police Athletic League have all benefited from the foundation’s efforts. In 1995, Tony was presented the Branch Rickey Award as the top community activist in Major League Baseball. In 1999, he was named the Roberto Clemente Man of the Year for combining sportsmanship and community service, and was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame. That same year, he also received the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, presented to the major league player who best exemplifies the character and leadership of the Hall of Fame first baseman both on and off the field. A graduate of San Diego State, Tony returned to his alma mater in a volunteer role in 2001 before becoming head baseball coach in 2002. He was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2004. Tony’s steady swing and reliable nature have made him one of baseball’s brightest stars and best role models. Nearly unanimously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first appearance on the ballot, Tony will be enshrined alongside Cal Ripken Jr. on July 29 in Cooperstown, N.Y. |
Sharon Robinson
Keynote Interview Guest
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| Much has changed in the 60 years since Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball. The players, the fans, and the game itself have all been transformed, as has the world outside America’s ballparks. Yet as baseball and America celebrate the 60th anniversary of Jackie breaking the game’s color barrier, we are reminded there is still work to do. One of the people most dedicated to carrying out this continuing work is someone intimately familiar with Jackie and his mission: his daughter Sharon. Director of educational programming for Major League Baseball, Sharon created and manages MLB's national character education initiative, “Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life.” In its 10th year, the program has taught more than 14 million kids how to overcome life’s obstacles. Students learn about the nine values Jackie applied to his life: citizenship, commitment, courage, determination, excellence, integrity, justice, persistence and teamwork. As vice chair of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, Sharon oversees a program that funds 266 young scholars in 33 states. She has authored six books, including Jackie’s Nine: Jackie Robinson’s Values to Live By. A former nurse and educator, Sharon has also worked with the “Join The Major Leagues @ Your Library” campaign to help people of all ages build their literacy skills. By using her father’s legacy as a tool to effect positive change, Sharon has continued the work Jackie Robinson began 60 years ago. |
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Army Women's Basketball Team
United States Military Academy - West Point, New York
National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics
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In her only season as head coach of the Army women’s basketball team, Maggie Dixon made an impact on the program that will never be matched. She was successful not only on the court, but also in making a difference in the lives of her players. Seventeen days after leading the Black Knights to their first NCAA Tournament appearance, coach Dixon was tragically and unexpectedly lost to a heart ailment. When the players returned to the basketball court, they decided to dedicate the 2006-07 season to their beloved former coach. Guided by Dave Magarity, an assistant under Dixon, Army compiled a school-record 24 Division I wins, including 12 in-a-row, and led the Patriot League in seven statistical categories, including scoring average, scoring defense, field goal percentage and rebounding. The team began the season by hosting the inaugural Maggie Dixon Classic, a double-header that featured the Black Knights against No. 7 Ohio State, and a men’s game between Western Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh – coached by Maggie Dixon’s older brother, Jamie. Between games, Maggie’s parents, sister, and Jamie were presented with a ring commemorating the 2005-06 Patriot League championship. Banners honoring the title and Maggie as conference coach of the year were unveiled. In April, the team was honored as the 2007 V Foundation Comeback Award recipients. Having persevered in the face of terrible loss, Army’s players and coaches hope that their efforts will help others preserve the memory of the coach they will never forget. |
Marc Bulger
St. Louis Rams
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| Few players have emerged as leaders – both on the field and in the community – as quickly and unexpectedly as Marc did in 2002. Thrust into the starting lineup having never taken an NFL regular season snap, Marc led the Rams to victories in his first six starts that season and never looked back. Since then, the Pittsburgh native has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 16,233 yards and 95 touchdowns while leading the Rams to two playoff berths and the 2003 NFC West Division title. Seemingly unstoppable inside the Edward Jones Dome, Marc has also impressed St. Louisans by sharing his talents with the community. He has taken part in numerous Rams charity initiatives, including Hometown Huddle, Bowl-a-RAM-a, Football University, and Get Into the Game. Local chapters of the United Way, the Epilepsy Foundation, and ALIVE (Alternatives to Living in Violent Environments) have all benefited from Marc’s efforts, along with thousands of kids throughout St. Louis. In 2006, Marc served as the honorary host for the 11th annual Make-A-Wish Celebrity Dinner. The event raised more than $100,000 for the St. Louis chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Marc also gives back to his hometown, annually hosting the Marc Bulger Celebrity Golf Invitational to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh. The 2007 event raised more than $157,000. |
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Trevor Bunch
Marquette High School - Chesterfield, Missouri
National Federation of State High School Associations
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With equal parts determination and positive attitude, Trevor became one of the most popular athletes in Missouri high school wrestling history. He finished his senior year at Marquette High School as the 2007 state runner-up with a 44-4 mark in the 112-pound weight class. Trevor takes great pride in that remarkable record of success. The fact that he accomplished so much without fully-formed legs is something that matters little to him. Born with tibial displacement, a condition that prevents the primary bones in the lower legs from completely developing, Trevor’s legs were amputated just above the knee when he was one. But handicapped was never something Trevor allowed himself or others to view him as. Having jumped off the highest structure he could climb by the time he was three, he is not one to let obstacles stand in his way. After joining the Marquette wrestling team as a sophomore, Trevor struggled, losing his first eight junior varsity matches. But he persevered, collecting a 24-16 record and a trip to state as a junior before rising to the top of the 112-pound weight class in 2007. Respected on the mat by coaches, teammates and opponents, Trevor is admired by his classmates. He was voted Marquette’s homecoming king in 2006. He will attend college in the fall, where he hopes to study forensics and psychology, and continue wrestling. |
Russ Davis
Vanguard University - Costa Mesa, California
2007 NAIA Coach of Character Award
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| A multiple-time coach of champions, Russ has worked hard to ensure that he is also a coach of character. In 11 years at Vanguard, his teams have won eight Golden State Athletic Conference championships, including the last five. He has also embraced the NAIA’s Champions of Character core values: respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship. In order to help his players succeed in academics and athletics, Russ’s stated goal is to implement at least one of those five core values daily in his coaching method and development of his team. It is his belief that sports can provide young athletes with the depth of character necessary to become people of integrity. Proof of his success can be seen in the great number of his players who have become leaders in the community, including Kelly Schmidt, the 2007 Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award winner. Russ helps young athletes outside of his coaching responsibilities as well, serving as a Champions of Character instructor for the Vanguard University Program Center, which provides character education and outreach throughout Southern California. He also serves as the co-director of BAM (Beyond Athletics Ministry), a ministry group made up of athletes from various sports on the Vanguard campus. The 2005 WBCA National Coach of the Year, Russ has a record of 538-188 in his 26-year coaching career, including a 31-1 mark in 2007. He has led Vanguard to nine NAIA Tournament berths and guided the Lions to the NAIA semifinals in 2006 and 2007. |
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Carlos Delgado
New York Mets
2006 MLB Roberto Clemente Award
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Few recipients have had a connection to the Roberto Clemente Award as personal as Carlos Delgado. Carlos was born in Clemente’s homeland of Puerto Rico just six months before the iconic ballplayer and humanitarian died in a plane crash while on an aid mission. Like many Puerto Rican boys growing up in the shadow of their hero’s tragic death, Carlos chose to wear Clemente’s number 21 jersey whenever he could. Unlike many of those same boys, Carlos was able to follow Clemente’s path further, both to the major leagues and to humanitarianism. A two-time All-Star, Carlos has racked up more than 1,700 hits, 400 home runs and 1,300 RBIs in his 15-year major league career. Perhaps most impressive, Carlos has raised more than $1 million for Extra Bases, the foundation he founded five years ago to improve the lives of children in his native Puerto Rico. Carlos has donated $500,000 of his own money to the foundation and raised the rest of the funds through sales of “Follow your Dreams” wristbands and corporate contributions for each home run he hits. His 38 homers in 2006 produced $91,200. Extra Bases benefits hundreds of homeless, underprivileged and handicapped Puerto Rican children with an annual pre-Thanksgiving feast and gifts at Christmas time. Carlos has also sponsored college scholarships and rewarded top Puerto Rican students with trips to New York. In the future, Carlos hopes to expand his philanthropic efforts to help underprivileged children in New York City. Given all of his efforts, it is easy to see that, like his boyhood hero Roberto Clemente, Carlos’ compassion is as boundless as his talent. |
Travis Jones
Clinton-Massie High School - Clarksville, Ohio
National Federation of State High School Associations
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As one of Ohio’s top high school pole vaulters, Travis knows how it feels to reach the highest heights. As a burn victim, he also remembers how it feels at the lowest lows. When he was nine, Travis was seriously burned in a campfire accident. Doctors told him he would never be able to participate in sports because of the multiple skin grafts that would be required. But Travis battled back. Not only has he participated in sports, he has excelled. He earned honors in football and wrestling, and last year, he placed second in the Ohio state high school pole vault competition. To get from the valley to the peak took personal dedication and hard work, but it also required the encouragement and help of others, which Travis never forgets. Hoping to somehow return the favor, Travis was eager to help when he heard that a 10-year-old in his hometown had been seriously burned. The Clinton-Massie High School graduate befriended Kevin Hayslip, a student at Clinton-Massie Elementary. The two quickly formed a special bond. Eager to inspire his young friend and show him that he can overcome his injuries and accomplish anything, Travis presented Kevin with his silver medal from the 2006 state track tournament. Word of Travis’ actions reached the Ohio High School Athletic Association, which honored Travis and Kevin during a special ceremony at the 2007 Ohio Division IV boys basketball championship game. For his winning spirit and compassion off the field, Travis was awarded a new medal to replace the one he gave to Kevin. |
Rainer Martens
Human Kinetics, Inc. - Champaign, Illinois
National Association for Sport and Physical Education
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| Rainer has made helping athletes and coaches find confidence and success his life’s work. As president and founder of Human Kinetics, Inc., Rainer has spent more than 30 years publishing books, journals, videos and online courses in the sports, fitness and physical activity fields. His book, Successful Coaching, is the best-selling coaching text ever published, with more than 1 million copies sold. The American Sport Education Program, founded by Rainer, is the largest coaching education program in the United States with more than 1 million coaches having completed ASEP courses. As a former Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Illinois and a former sports psychologist for numerous U.S. Olympic athletes, Rainer has worked at the highest levels of academics and athletics, gathering a wealth of knowledge to pass on to coaches and young athletes. Widely recognized for his research on competitive anxiety, Rainer developed the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT), the first instrument to assess sport-specific anxiety. With more than 320 Human Kinetics employees and subsidiary offices in Canada, England, Australia, and New Zealand, his reach extends around the globe. Inducted into the National Association of Sport and Physical Education Hall of Fame in 2001 and the National Youth Hall of Fame in 2007, Rainer is also an avid athlete himself, having earned All-America status as a member of 15 National Senior Slow-Pitch Softball Championship teams. |
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Jamal Mayers
St. Louis Blues
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As the longest tenured member of the St. Louis Blues, Jamal knows that success in hockey takes not only scoring but sacrifice – in the corners, on the boards and, sometimes, in the penalty box. But Jamal also knows another kind of sacrifice. The kind displayed by his brother Allan, who gave up hockey so that Jamal could keep playing when equipment costs grew too much for their family to afford. He also knows about the sacrifices his mother Doreen made as a single parent to allow him to play hockey and Allan to run track. And because he knows how much sacrifice it took to propel him to the NHL, Jamal has made giving back his off-ice priority. With defenseman Bryce Salvador, Jamal formed Jam ‘n Sal’s Community Stars, an initiative rewarding area students who perform an uncommon act of kindness or good deed with Blues tickets and an invitation to a skating party with the two players. During the NHL lockout of 2004-05, Jamal formed the Hockey Academy of St. Louis with Salvador and teammate Barrett Jackman. The Academy offers instruction and training for hockey players of various ages and skills. Recently re-signed by the Blues, Jamal continues to work hard to ensure that St. Louis youth have the resources needed to reach the highest levels of achievement – both on and off the ice – with the hope that their only necessary sacrifice will be that of personal commitment. |
Chad Riegel
Ritenour High School - St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis Sports Commission Associates Board “Good Sport” Award – presented by Enterprise
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This spring, the St. Louis Sports Commission’s Associates Board – a group of area young professionals who volunteer to assist the Sports Commission’s efforts – created the “Good Sport” award. The “Good Sport” award recognizes a St. Louis area youth athlete, age 8 to 18, who demonstrates the ideals and very meaning of sportsmanship through a specific act or overall approach. With the support of 590 The Fan KFNS, the Associates Board sought nominations for the honor.
The Associates Board is pleased to present the 2007 “Good Sport” award to Ritenour High School golfer Chad Riegel. Last year at the Class 4 district tournament, Chad discovered that he and another player had hit each other’s ball during play, which is against the rules. Under the circumstances, Chad and the competitor probably could have gotten away with the mistake. But the Ritenour sophomore put honesty above everything else. Not wanting to cheat the game, his opponents, or himself, he reported the incident to an official, which cost him a two-stroke penalty – and ultimately a trip to the state tournament. Chad’s final round score was one stroke away from making the cut. His coach, Dan McClain told a local reporter, “Instead of being defeated, [Chad] held his chin up and accepted the ruling and the rules of golf.” Chad certainly didn’t dwell on the decision. He followed up his great display of integrity by making the state tournament this season. |
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Mike Rose
Slippery Rock University - Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
2006 NCAA Male Sportsmanship Award
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| Competing in track and field, a sport in which the smallest of margins can make the difference between victory and defeat, Mike displayed an unmatched commitment to honesty at the 2006 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships. A freshman decathlete, Mike was in position to move up in the standings – earning prestige for himself and valuable points for his team – as the competition moved to the javelin, the ninth of 10 events. On his first throw, Mike was mistakenly credited with a distance of 51.34 meters. The mark was well beyond his personal best and unlikely given the fact that he had suffered a fracture in his throwing arm just two weeks before. Even though accepting the incorrect mark would have boosted his team’s conference title hopes, Mike and his coaches alerted officials to the mistake. Meet officials initially refused to change the mark, but Mike repeated his request to have the erroneous score thrown out. Eventually the officials agreed. As it turned out, had he accepted the incorrect mark, he would have moved from eighth to seventh in the decathlon standings and earned Slippery Rock an extra point in the team competition. But for Mike, the best mark was the mark of sportsmanship that he displayed in adhering to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. A physical education major at Slippery Rock, Mike is originally from Houston, Penn. He was a four-year letterwinner in soccer, cross country, and track at Chartiers-Houston High School. |
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Sarah Dawn Schettle
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh - Oshkosh, Wisconsin
2006 NCAA Female Sportsmanship Award
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Versatile in her abilities yet consistent in her high level of effort, Sarah has made sportsmanship a priority in all areas of her life. A dual-sport athlete in swimming and track and field, Sarah earned a reputation for encouraging teammates and opponents alike to give their best effort and enjoy their experience. Known to help set up hurdles before track meets and clear all the starting blocks at swimming meets, Sarah made hugs and handshakes a postgame priority. While juggling two varsity sports, Sarah also found time for two majors, earning a 3.9 GPA in chemistry and Spanish. Consistently on the Dean’s List, Sarah has won numerous academic scholarships, including the Ronald Reagan Future Leaders Scholarship. She has also engaged her fellow students beyond the classroom by contributing to the Biology Club and the Optimist Club, and by co-founding an online mentoring program linking students with alumni based on majors and career interests. A native of Oshkosh and a graduate of Oshkosh West High School, Sarah has given back to her community, participating in blood drives, Special Olympics, and local politics. |
Kelly Schmidt
Vanguard University - Costa Mesa, California
2007 NAIA Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award
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| Nationally-recognized on the basketball court and consistently impactful off of it, Kelly is a quiet leader who prefers to let her actions do the talking. As a four-time NAIA All-American, two-time Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year, and the 2006 NAIA National Player of the Year, her on-court exploits speak loudly, but they do not tell the whole story. The team captain and 2,500-point scorer served as a leader of Vanguard’s athletic ministries and weekly bible study, as well as the L.I.O.N. Champions of Character program in the Costa Mesa community. Kelly played an active role in “Frontline,” a campus ministry in which veteran students welcome freshmen to campus and help them move in. Last summer, Kelly traveled to Thailand and Bhutan on a mission trip, working with children and helping women escape prostitution. A liberal studies major, Kelly made the Dean’s List every semester at Vanguard, receiving Golden State Athletic and NAIA Scholar Athlete recognition. She hopes to become an elementary school teacher after concluding her playing career. A native of Glendale, Ariz., Kelly led Vanguard to a 125-10 record over her four years at the school, including a 31-1 mark and a trip to the NAIA semifinals in 2007. |
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Angela Verbeelen
Florida Community College at Jacksonville - Jacksonville, Florida
2006-07 Lea Plarski Award
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Angela embodies a reconstruction of an old phrase, proving that effort is the better part of valor. The captain and centerfielder for the Florida Community College at Jacksonville softball team, Angela has earned accolades from her teammates, coaches and opponents for her consistent intensity and focus in games, practice and the classroom. A two-time All-Mid Florida Conference selection, Angela helped her team to back-to-back appearances in the Region 8 tournament. In 2007, she hit .290 with seven doubles, a home run, nine stolen bases and 16 walks. Described by many coaches in Region 8 as the student-athlete that most symbolizes the essence of sportsmanship, Angela maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA at FCCJ while also volunteering much of her time to local organizations, including Special Olympics, Take Stock in Children, and Shands Hospital. She also participated in several food and clothing drives and made regular visits to local nursing homes to assist with day-to-day activities and provide companionship for seniors. Named FCCJ’s President’s Award winner for her academic and athletic excellence, Angela looks forward to continuing her academic and athletic career next year at a four-year institution. She plans to pursue a degree in biology and a career in medicine. A native of Melrose, Fla., Angela’s long-term goal is to become a cardiovascular surgeon while remaining actively involved with softball. |
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