NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey and his wife June were honored by the America-Israel Friendship League (AIFL) during a dinner in New York December 8. The Dempseys received the prestigious 1999 Partners for Democracy Award for their work in strengthening the relationship between the two nations and their life-long dedication to youth, education and sports.

The Dempseys have been heavily involved with the league since the early 1980s, when June began working with the chapter in Tucson, Arizona, where she and Cedric lived at the time. They have continued their strong support of the league; in fact, June serves on the league's executive committee and its national board of directors. She also is the cochair for its Partners for Global Education Committee.

The Partners for Democracy Award is the highest honor the league bestows. The honorary co-chairs for the event were President Clinton and Ehud Barak, the prime minister of Israel. Jim Nantz, a CBS sports broadcaster, and Robin Roberts, a sports anchor for ESPN, were the masters of ceremony. The Rev. Jesse Jackson also was part of the program.

Attending the event were well-known people from the fields of sports, business, politics, the media and Jewish leadership, including New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and CBS Sports President Sean McManus.

Proceeds from the dinner will fund sports exchanges through cooperation with the Citizenship through Sports Alliance (CTSA) in order to foster good citizenship and sportsmanship among Israeli and American high-school students. Organizers are hoping these exchanges will help combat the rise in violence among youth that both countries are experiencing. The league will bring together students, coaches and others from the United States and Israel and through sports help participants learn the values of teamwork, discipline, fair play, tolerance and respect for diversity.

Dempsey said he and June were honored to be so recognized, but that the ensuing youth-exchange program could be even more rewarding.

"When they approached us about being recognized, I certainly appreciated the honor but at the same time I wanted to expand the cause," Dempsey said. "The AIFL was receptive to the tie-in with sports -- to initiate a program for high-school athletes to go to Israel and vice versa. The program is designed not as a highly competitive kind of experience but more as a sports exchange and educational exchange, which ties into their mission as well as the mission of the CTSA."

Dempsey said the issue of increasing violence in secondary school is a problem both countries share. He said the youth-exchange program is designed to address that issue through sportsmanship.

"Israel's hope -- as is ours -- is of advancing and using sports as a means to build better citizenship. This program creates a natural linkage between the two countries, as well as the two organizations," Dempsey said.

Dempsey also said that he expects the program to include opportunities for college student-athletes to visit Israel and serve as camp teachers or mentors for high-school students.

"From our standpoint, it's a great opportunity for a lot of young people in this country to use sport as a means of better understanding on an international basis," he said.

NCAA Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer Daniel Boggan Jr. also was honored during the banquet. Boggan, who has been instrumental in the establishment and development of the CTSA, received the AIFL's award of merit on behalf of the Alliance.