Brian Brunner, a football student-athlete at Central Michigan, and Ania Rynarzewska, a tennis player at Florida State, were chosen as the inaugural recipients of the Jim McKay Scholarship.

The newly established scholarship recognizes the contributions and legacy of McKay, who died in June 2008 at the age of 86. Best known for hosting ABC’s Wide World of Sports for more than 40 years, he earned numerous awards and honors, including two Emmys – one for news reporting and one for sports – for his coverage of the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics. His son, Sean McManus, is president of CBS’ sports and news divisions.

One male and one female student-athlete are selected annually as McKay Scholars and will receive a $10,000 postgraduate scholarship in recognition of their outstanding academic achievement and potential to contribute to the sports-communications industry. Eligible recipients must have an overall undergraduate grade-point average of 3.5 or better, must have been a member of a varsity team at an NCAA member institution and should be enrolled in a graduate program or be a graduating senior committed to enrolling in a graduate program within five years of being named as a McKay Scholar.

Brunner, a quarterback and captain of the 2008 Chippewas squad, was a three-time Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week and a three-time MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week this past season.

A May graduate, Brunner was a journalism major and English and sports studies double minor. The Draddy Trophy semifinalist was a two-time academic all-MAC pick who earned dean’s list honors every semester from 2004-08.

In addition to being a member of the campus and conference student-athlete advisory committees, he was a reporter for the campus newspaper from 2006-08 and interned with the Central Michigan sports information department, Green Bay Packers and Saginaw News. He also was active in the community, including volunteering with the Special Olympics of Michigan for five years.

Brunner will pursue a master’s degree and a doctorate in journalism and aspires to work at a major media outlet and become a college professor.

A standout on Florida State’s women’s tennis team, Rynarzewska graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in public relations in April 2008 and completed a master’s degree in communication this spring. She is planning to pursue a doctorate in mass communication and marketing.

A two-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference academic pick, Rynarzewska was the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Scholar of the Year in 2006, 2007 and 2008. She also was a recipient of Florida State’s Golden Torch Award, which recognizes the highest GPA on the tennis team.

Rynarzewska was a three-year participant on the campus student-athlete advisory council and spent a year on the university’s forensics team, in addition to writing and interning with the Seminoles sports information department. In the community, she participated in tennis clinics, helped with a Thanksgiving holiday food drive and served as a freshman orientation peer leader.

Rynarzewska plans to become a researcher in the fields of mass communication and marketing.  

For more information about the McKay Scholarship, click here or contact Janice Whitehead at the NCAA national office at jwhitehead@ncaa.org or 317/917-6222.