NCAA Honors

The NCAA annually honors those who make lasting contributions to intercollegiate athletes. Current and former student-athletes are recognized for their work on the field and in the classroom, their contributions to society and their ability to inspire those around them.
 

SILVER ANNIVERSARY AWARDS
The Silver Anniversary Awards recognize six distinguished former student-athletes on their 25th anniversary as college graduates.

  • 1974 -- Eugene T. Rossides (Columbia) Football
  • 1976 -- Samuel H. Greenawalt (Penn) Football & Squash
  • 1977 -- Richard W. Kazmaier (Princeton) Football
  • 1983 -- Richard J. Censits (Penn) Basketball
  • 1984 -- Stephan Friedman (Cornell) Wrestling
  • 1985 -- Paul J. Choquette Jr. (Brown) Football & Track
  • 1990 -- Arthur J. Roberts (Columbia) Football, Basketball & Baseball
  • 1991 -- Tone N. Grant (Yale) Football & Lacrosse
  • 1993 -- Donald A. Schollander (Yale) Swimming
  • 1994 -- Calvin Hill (Yale) Football
  • 1995 -- Kwaku Ohene-Frempong (Yale) Soccer, Track & Field
  • 1996 -- Kurt L. Schmoke (Yale) Football & Lacrosse
  • 1997 -- Jack Ford (Yale) Football
  • 1998 -- Larie Mifflin (Yale) Field Hockey
  • 2000 -- Lisa Rosenblum (Yale) Tennis
  • 2004 -- Virginia Anne Gilder (Yale) Rowing
  • 2005 -- Gary Lawrence (Yale) Ice Hockey
  • 2006 -- Susan Wellington (Yale) Women's Swimming & Softball
  • 2007 -- Gail (Koziara) Boudreaux (Dartmouth) Basketball & Track & Field; Steve Jordan (Brown) Football; Patricia Melton (Yale) Track & Field
  • 2011 -- Lisa Caputa (Brown) Field Hockey & Lacrosse
  • 2013 -- Bob Cottingham (Columbia) Fencing
  • 2014 -- George Pyne (Brown) Football
  • 2015 -- Bernard Muir (Brown) Basketball
  • 2018 -- David Morrow (Princeton) Lacrosse
  • 2019 -- Dr. David Hirsch (Cornell) Wrestling
  • 2020 -- Darren Eales (Brown) Men's Soccer

NCAA TODAY'S TOP 10 AWARDS
The Today's Top 10 Awards provide the Association with the opportunity to honor 10 outstanding senior student-athletes of the preceding calendar year.

  • 1973 -- Robert W. Ash (Cornell) Football
  • 1978 -- Daniel R. Mackesey (Cornell) Lacrosse & Soccer
  • 1991 -- Meredith L. Rainey (Harvard) Track & Field
  • 1999 -- Emily Stauffer (Harvard) Soccer
  • 2000 -- Josh Sims (Princeton) Lacrosse
  • 2006 -- Nick Hartigan (Brown) Football
  • 2007 -- Allison Crocker (Dartmouth) Skiing & Rowing
  • 2011 -- Jeff Spear (Columbia) Men's Fencing
  • 2015 -- Abbey D'Agostino (Dartmouth) Cross Country and Track & Field
  • 2018 -- Ben Reeves (Yale) Lacrosse
  • 2020 -- Iman Blow (Columbia) Women's Fencing

NCAA ELITE 90 AWARDS
Established by the NCAA prior to the 2009-10 academic year, the Elite 90 Awards are presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 90 championships.

  • 2010 -- Jeff Spear (Columbia) Fencing
  • 2011 -- Noam Mills (Harvard) Fencing; Petra Weiss (Brown) Rowing
  • 2012 -- Christine McIntosh (Cornell) Fencing; Amanda Tremaglio (Cornell) Rowing
  • 2013 -- Devin McMahon (Cornell) Women's Cross Country
  • 2017 -- Thomas Aiken (Harvard) Ice Hockey; Ellen Dobrijevic (Princeton) Field Hockey
  • 2019 -- Brendan Rooney (Yale) Men's Lacrosse

McKAY POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP
Established in 2008 to honor the contributions of pioneer sports journalist Jim McKay, the program annually awards $10,000 each to one female and one male student-athlete in recognition of their outstanding academic achievement and potential to contribute to the sports communication industry.

  • 2012 -- Adrienne Lerner (Penn) Soccer
  • 2013 -- Jonathan Gault (Dartmouth) Cross Country/Track & Field

NCAA INSPIRATION AWARD
A special award that is not presented on an annual basis. Selection is based on inspirational action occurring before the NCAA Honors Celebration.

  • 2003 -- Amanda Walton (Yale '02) Field Hockey & Lacrosse
  • 2006 -- John Doar (Princeton '44) Basketball
  • 2008 -- James MacLaren (Yale '85) Football & Lacrosse

NCAA STUDENT-ATHLETE SPORTSMANSHIP AWARDS
The NCAA Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Awards honor student-athletes who, through their actions in the competitive arena of intercollegiate athletics, have demonstrated one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship, including fairness,civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect and responsibility. Selections are made by the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct. This award was first presented in 1999 as the Outstanding Sports Persons of the Year Award and has since been renamed the NCAA Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Awards.

  • 2009 -- Aleksandra "Ola" Mackiewicz (Brown) Fencing

NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.

  • 1991 -- Kristine Campbell (Yale)
  • 1992 -- Catherine Sharkey (Yale)
  • 1992 -- Jennifer Cobb (Cornell)
  • 1999 -- Emily Stauffer (Harvard)
  • 1999 -- Suzanne Eastman (Dartmouth)
  • 2002 -- Jamiee Reynolds (Cornell)
  • 2012 -- Alexi Pappas (Dartmouth)
  • 2018 -- Jing Leung (Harvard)

THEODORE ROOSEVELT AWARD
The "Teddy" award is the highest honor the NCAA may confer on an individual.

Named after President Theodore Roosevelt, whose concern for the conduct of intercollegiate athletics led to the formation of the NCAA in 1906, this annual award is given to an individual "for whom competitive athletics in college and attention to physical well-being thereafter have been important factors in a distinguished career of national significance and achievement."

More specifically,"The Theodore Roosevelt Award shall be presented annually to a distinguished citizen of national reputation and outstanding accomplishment who -- having graduated from an NCAA member institution and having earned a varsity athletics award in college or having participated in competitive intercollegiate athletics in college -- has by a continuing interest and concern for physical fitness and competitive sport and by personal example exemplified most clearly and forcefully the ideals and purposes to which collegiate athletics programs and amateur sports competition are dedicated."

  • 1968 -- Leverett Saltonstall (Harvard '14) Rowing, Football & Ice Hockey
    U.S. Senator; Governor, Massachusetts
     
  • 1972 -- Jerome H. Holland (Cornell '39) Football
    U.S. Ambassador to Sweden
     
  • 1986 -- George H.W. Bush (Yale '48) Baseball
    President of the United States
     
  • 2006 -- Robert Kraft (Columbia '63) Lightweight Football
    Philanthropist and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Kraft Group, which sports holdings include the National Football League's New England Patriots and Major League Soccer's New England Revolution and Gillette Stadium