NCAA Inspiration Award

The NCAA Inspiration Award is awarded to one of the following who is associated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association: a current or former varsity letter-winner, a coach, or an administrator. The award is given to an individual who "when confronted with a life-altering situation used perseverance, dedication and determination to overcome the event and now serves as a role model to give hope and inspiration to others in similar situations."[1]

The Inspiration Award was first awarded in 2002. The recipients of the award are:

Year Individual Sport College affiliation Ref
2002 Maggie Maloy Track & Cross country Defiance College [2]
Sam Paneno Football University of California, Davis [2]
2003 Diane Geppi-Aikens Lacrosse Loyola College in Maryland [3]
Amanda Walton Field hockey Yale University [4]
Todd Williams Football Florida State University [3]
2004 Heather Denison Volleyball University of Portland [5]
Emily Miller Soccer University of Tennessee at Martin [5]
Mike Nyeholt Swimming University of Southern California [6]
2005 Kaia Jergenson Basketball Lipscomb University [7]
Michelle Thomas Track and field University of Oklahoma [7]
Macharia Yuot Track and field Widener University [7]
2006 Raul Altreche Lacrosse Amherst College [8]
John Doar Basketball Princeton University [8]
Lois Taurman Basketball, volleyball, & softball Bellarmine University [8]
2007 David Denniston Swimming Auburn University [9]
2008 Jim MacLaren Football Yale University [10]
2009 Kelly Brush Skiing Middlebury College [11]
2010 Gregory Gatson Football West Point [12]
2007 Bluffton University Baseball Team Baseball Bluffton University [13]
2011 Merzudin Ibric Track and Field Wheaton College [14]
2012 Jill Costello[a] Rowing University of California, Berkeley [15]
Louis Zamperini Track and field University of Southern California [16]
2013 David Borden Football Kutztown University of Pennsylvania [17]
2014 Jason Church Football University of Wisconsin–La Crosse [18]
2015 April Holmes Track Norfolk State University [19]
2016 O. J. Brigance Football Rice University [20]
Lauren Hill[a] Basketball Mount St. Joseph University [20]
2017 Pete Frates Baseball Boston College [21]
2018 Jim Kelly Football University of Miami [22]
2019 Shaquem Griffin Football University of Central Florida [23]
Maggie Nichols Gymnastics University of Oklahoma [24]
2020 Trey Moses Basketball Ball State University [25]
Rocky Bleier Football Notre Dame [26]
2021 Chaunté Lowe Track and Field Georgia Tech [27]
2022 Bob Grant Football Wake Forest University [28]
Steve Gleason Football Washington State University [29]
2023 Gracie Phelps Basketball Western Washington University [30]
Black 14 Football University of Wyoming [31]
2024 Esera Tuaolo Football Oregon State University [32]
Roxanne Dunn Track and Field Slippery Rock University [33]
  1. ^ a b Posthumous award
  1. ^ "Inspiration Award Selection Criteria". NCAA.org. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  2. ^ a b "NCAA to honor two recipients with first Inspiration Award". NCAA. December 17, 2001. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "2003 NCAA Inspiration Award Recipients". NCAA. January 6, 2003. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "NCAA honors Walton with inspiration award". Yale Daily News. Yale University. January 15, 2003.
  5. ^ a b "2004 NCAA Award Winners". NCAA.org. January 12, 2004. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
  6. ^ "Mike Nyeholt To Receive A 2004 NCAA Inspiration Award". University of Southern California Athletic Department. December 18, 2003.
  7. ^ a b c "NCAA to Honor Three Student-Athletes with 2005 Inspiration Award". NCAA. December 16, 2004. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
  8. ^ a b c "NCAA award winners turn complication into inspiration". NCAA. December 5, 2005. Retrieved 2009-01-02. [dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Valor, Inspiration honorees personify courage, selflessness". NCAA. November 6, 2006. Retrieved January 2, 2009. [dead link‍]
  10. ^ "NCAA Announces Recipients of 2008 Award of Valor and Inspiration Award". NCAA. November 5, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
  11. ^ "Injured Middlebury skier receives Inspiration Award". NCAA. November 12, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2009. [dead link‍]
  12. ^ "Former Army Football Player Greg Gadson Honored By The NCAA". United States Military Academy. November 4, 2009.
  13. ^ "Bluffton baseball team wins prestigious NCAA award". The Columbus Dispatch. January 16, 2010.
  14. ^ "NCAA names Ibric 2011 Inspiration Award recipient". Wheaton College Athletics. November 22, 2010.
  15. ^ "Jill Costello Receives NCAA Inspiration Award". UC Berkeley Athletic Department. October 26, 2011. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  16. ^ "From survivor to inspirer — Former USC track star, WWII vet honored with Inspiration Award". NCAA. October 26, 2011. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  17. ^ "NCAA award winner inspired to serve". NCAA. October 12, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  18. ^ "Jason Church Named Recipient of 2014 NCAA Inspiration Award". NCAA. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  19. ^ "April Holmes to receive 2015 Inspiration Award" (Press release). NCAA. November 13, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  20. ^ a b "Lauren Hill, O.J. Brigance to receive 2016 NCAA Inspiration Award" (Press release). NCAA. December 1, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  21. ^ "2017 NCAA Inspiration Award: Pete Frates" (Press release). NCAA. November 17, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  22. ^ "2018 NCAA Inspiration Award: Jim Kelly" (Press release). NCAA. December 7, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  23. ^ "2019 NCAA Inspiration Award: Shaquem Griffin" (Press release). NCAA. December 13, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  24. ^ "2019 NCAA Inspiration Award: Maggie Nichols" (Press release). NCAA. December 13, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  25. ^ "2020 NCAA Inspiration Award: Trey Moses". NCAA. December 17, 2019.
  26. ^ "2020 NCAA Inspiration Award: Rocky Bleier". NCAA. December 17, 2019.
  27. ^ "2021 Inspiration Award: Chaunté Lowe". National Collegiate Athletic Association. January 6, 2021.
  28. ^ "2022 Inspiration Award winner: Bob Grant". National Collegiate Athletic Association. January 12, 2022.
  29. ^ "2022 Inspiration Award winner: Stephen M. Gleason". National Collegiate Athletic Association. January 12, 2022.
  30. ^ "2023 NCAA Inspiration Award: Gracie Phelps". National Collegiate Athletic Association. December 6, 2022.
  31. ^ "Black 14 to receive NCAA 2023 Inspiration Award". National Collegiate Athletic Association. December 6, 2022.
  32. ^ "2024 NCAA Inspiration Award: Esera Tuaolo". National Collegiate Athletic Association. December 6, 2023.
  33. ^ "2024 NCAA Inspiration Award: Roxanne Dunn". National Collegiate Athletic Association. December 5, 2023.