Disney’s Wide World of Sports Spirit Award
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Disney’s Wide World of Sports Spirit Award is presented annually to college football’s most inspirational individual or team. The award is one of 21 that are part of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA).
[edit] Synopsis of Winners
Daniel Huffman, a high school player in Rossville, Ill., sacrificed a promising football career to donate a kidney to his ailing grandmother. Collins, a native of Lake Charles, La., overcame his loss of hearing to meningitis at 11 months of age to earn a scholarship to the University of Central Florida as a running back. Hartl, from Denver, Colo., battled Hodgkin’s disease throughout his college career as a fullback at Northwestern University before succumbing to the illness in August 1999.
The East Carolina football team finished the season in the national rankings after overcoming the floods and devastation that affected the entire eastern North Carolina community during Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Ali overcame a troubled youth and poverty-stricken conditions to earn a football scholarship and a degree from William & Mary.
The U.S. Service Academy football teams from Air Force, Army and Navy collectively received the 2001 Disney Spirit Award in recognition of their academic, athletic and military commitments following the tragic events of Sept. 11th.
Dewayne White suffered the loss of his parents, two house fires and serious injury before matriculating to the University of Louisville where he earned school records for career sacks and tackles for loss, as well as the 2002 Spirit Award. Neil Parry overcame the amputation of his right leg to return to San Jose State to play in six games for the Spartans, while 39-year old Tim Frisby, winner of last year’s Spirit Award, followed a career in the Army by pursuing a life-long dream to play college football at South Carolina.
The Tulane University football team played 11 games in 11 different stadiums, including “home” games in six different cities after Hurricane Katrina devastated the team’s home city of New Orleans.
[edit] Disney’s Wide World of Sports Spirit Award Recipients
- Year, Recipient School, (Hometown)
- 1996 Daniel Huffman, Rossville High School, (Rossville, IL)
- 1997 Dwight Collins, Central Florida University, (Lake Charles, LA)
- 1998 Matt Hartl, Northwestern University, (Denver, CO)
- 1999 East Carolina University, (Greenville, NC)
- 2000 Hameen Ali, College of William & Mary, (Dover, DL)
- 2001 United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, CO); United States Military Academy (West Point, NY); United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD)
- 2002 Dewayne White, University of Louisville, (Marbury, AL)
- 2003 Neil Parry, San Jose State University, (Sonora, CA)
- 2004 Tim Frisby, University of South Carolina, (Allentown, PA)
- 2005 Tulane University, (New Orleans, LA)
- 2006 Patrick Henry Hughes, University of Louisville, (Louisville, KY)
- 2007 Zerbin Singleton, United States Naval Academy , (Decatur, GA)
