The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- March 15, 1999

NSAD: Celebrations across the country take many forms

Many other universities and colleges participate in a variety of programs to celebrate National-Student-Athlete Day. Some programs are geared toward elevating student-athletes' role in the community, while other events recognize the institution's student-athletes for their contributions on and off the field.

Here are the highlights of just of few of those programs held last year:

Auburn

At Auburn, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee invited 50 students from the fifth-grade class at Sanford Middle School in Opelika, Alabama, to participate with the student-athletes in a variety of education workshops.

After a walking tour of the campus, the students participated in a demonstration of the sport of their choice and then shared lunch with the student-athletes.

Following lunch, the student-athletes led educational workshops dealing with goal setting, exercise and health, community involvement, and staying in school.

Central Florida

More than 420 student-athletes from 112 Florida high schools participated in the inaugural Florida Student-Athlete Citizenship Award Ceremony in honor of National Student-Athlete Day last year.

The schools' top two male and female student-athletes who exemplified the meaning of National Student-Athlete Day were invited.

The award ceremony was sponsored by the National Consortium for Academics in Sports' regional office at the university.

The program included an interactive presentation by ZINC, a New York acting troupe known for their dramatic performances of conflict and conflict resolution. Student-athletes joined members of the troupe onstage to experience various role-playing resolutions.

This year, the university plans to provide a workshop on the national NCAS program, Mentors in Violence Prevention, presented by former Syracuse quarterback Don McPherson.

Drexel

At Drexel, student-athletes supervised elementary school students in a day of fun activities aimed at building sportsmanship and teamwork.

Drexel student-athletes worked throughout the year with these children in Philadelphia public schools through a service-learning program in conjunction with Delaware Valley Junior Achievement.

During the university's celebration of National Student-Athlete Day, more than 100 second-grade students from three elementary schools enjoyed a four-hour session of recreational events. At the conclusion of the program, participants were given a commemorative T-shirt and a Drexel Dragon bean bag baby.

East Stroudsburg

A series of round-table discussions between student-athletes from East Stroudsburg and student-athletes from four high schools highlighted the National Student-Athlete Day program last year at East Stroudsburg.

Thirty-five senior student-athletes from East Stroudsburg, Pleasant Valley, Pocono Mountain and Stroudsburg high schools were selected by their own schools on the basis of their athletics participation, grade-point average, class rank and involvement in community-service activities.

The program was planned by the East Stroudsburg Athletes' Council.

"Our student-athletes suggested round-table discussions with topics that would be of interest to high-school student-athletes as they move on to college," said Earl W. Edwards, East Stroudsburg's athletics director.

The subject areas were: time management, nutrition and competition, academics and NCAA rules, and interaction with faculty and staff. Each round-table included four East Stroudsburg student-athletes and eight to 10 high-school athletes.

Robert J. Dillman, East Stroudsburg's president and a former high-school and college student-athlete, welcomed the students to campus and presented National Student-Athlete Day certificates to them.

Florida

The University of Florida plans a big expansion this year for its celebration of National Student-Athlete Day.

In the past, the university has offered an awards banquet for its own student-athletes. This year Florida has planned the Gator Sports for Life Fest, an interactive event that aims to encourage fifth- and sixth-grade students in the Gainesville community to maintain a healthy lifestyle and remain substance-free.

The program will be funded through a grant from the Florida Tobacco Pilot Program, which intends to use sports to empower young people to live tobacco-free.

Student-athletes assisting with the program will wear T-shirts from the national tobacco education program, "Truth--Unfiltered."

Organizers have planned a carnival-type format for the fest, complete with events such as a bottle-ring toss, football toss and soccer shootout.

"Gator Sports for Life is an outstanding program that will be beneficial to all student-athletes and the children of Gainesville," said Jamie McCloskey, associate athletics director at Florida.

Nevada

Last year the University of Nevada and the Western Regional office of the National Consortium for Academics and Sports celebrated National Student-Athlete Day with a program honoring more than 500 student-athletes from 42 Nevada high schools.

Also, three Nevada student-athletes were honored for their outstanding community service. This year, the university will add an award for Scholastic Coach of the Year.

Wisconsin-Platteville

At Wisconsin-Platteville, the focus of National Student-Athlete Day last year was on the academic performance of student-athletes.

Wisconsin-Platteville student-athletes with the highest fall semester grade-point average in each sport were honored at a luncheon attended by the university's chancellor, academic deans and other key administrators and coaches. Ten of last year's honorees had perfect grade-point averages.

Each student-athlete invited a professor or staff member to the luncheon.

At the end of the luncheon, Harry Hellen, a student-athlete in wrestling, accepted the awards on behalf of all the honorees and spoke about the importance of successfully combining academics and athletics.

Finally, honorees were photographed with their faculty guest and their head coach, and the photographs were sent to their hometown newspaper.

The award winners also were recognized at the university's annual athletics honors banquet in May.

One of the honorees last year was Brian Murphy, a basketball player who has overcome a learning disability to achieve a 4.000 grade-point average.

Murphy, who plans to be a math teacher and a coach, also enjoys working with children who have disabilities.