Former University of Notre Dame and National Football League star Alan C. Page will be recognized for his many contributions to intercollegiate athletics and higher education when he receives the NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award during the Honors Dinner at the NCAA Convention.

Page is the the 37th recipient of the "Teddy," named for the 26th President who played a key role in founding the NCAA. The award is presented annually to a distinguished citizen of national reputation and outstanding accomplishment.

Page was a three-year starting football defensive end and consensus all-American at the University of Notre Dame before making the move to the NFL, where he was part of the Minnesota Vikings' famed and feared "Purple People Eaters" defensive line.

Page led Notre Dame to Associated Press and United Press International national championships in 1966 and a 25-3-2 mark from 1964 to 1966. A first-round draft pick and 15th overall, he went on to collect 164 career sacks, block 28 punts or placekicks, recover 24 fumbles and appear in eight Pro Bowls in a professional football career that spanned 15 seasons, including 10 as a member of the Vikings and five with the Chicago Bears.

In 1971, the four-time NFC defensive player of the year became the first defensive player in NFL history to earn the league's most valuable player award. Page was elected to the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in Page has had just as big an impact in court as he did on the field. He set his sights early on a career in law, long before he developed an interest in football. Page worked his way through law school as a full-time student while maintaining his career as a professional football player. He earned his juris doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1978.

After retiring from football in 1981 and after a one-year stint as a commentator with National Public Radio, Page worked as an associate with Lindquist & Vennum before fulfilling responsibilities as a special assistant attorney general in the employment law division in Minnesota. Page served as assistant attorney general for the state from 1987 until 1993 when he was elected to the state's supreme court.

In 1993, he earned a place in the annals of Minnesota state history by becoming the first African-American elected to sit on its Supreme Court.

A vocal proponent of education and a frequent speaker at elementary schools, Page and his wife Diane established the Page Education Foundation in 1988 to help provide educational grants to students of color to attend colleges in Minnesota. As a condition of receiving the funds, the so-called Page Scholars serve as role models and mentors for younger children with the goal of changing the future. Thus far, the foundation has awarded 3,965 grants to 1,885 students totaling more than $2.5 million.