Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award

Disney’s Wide World of Sports Spirit Award
Awarded for	college football’s most inspirational individual or team
Presented by	National College Football Awards Association
Country	United States
First awarded	1996
Currently held by	D.J. Williams, Arkansas
Official website	http://disneyworldsports.disney.go.com/dwws/en_US/home/home?name=HomePage

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).

Previous winners

Year	Recipient/School
1996	Daniel Huffman, Rossville High School (Rossville, Illinois)
Huffman gave up a promising football career to donate a kidney to his grandmother.
1997	Dwight Collins, University of Central Florida
Collins overcame a loss of hearing from meningitis to get a football scholarship at UCF.
1998	Matt Hartl, Northwestern University
Hartl, after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in 1996, returned as a starter in 1997. *The disease returned in 1998, and Hartl passed on August 30, 1999 at the age of 23.
1999	East Carolina University
ECU overcame damage to their Greenville, North Carolina, campus from Hurricane Floyd to finish the season 9–3.
2000	Hameen Ali, The College of William & Mary
Ali overcame "a troubled youth, poverty-stricken living conditions and foster homes, among other obstacles."
2001	United States Service Academies
In the aftermath of 9/11, the members of the United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy, and United States Naval Academy teams were honored for their academic and athletic achievements, and their commitment to the military.
2002	Dewayne White, University of Louisville
White overcame the loss of both his parents, two fires that destroyed family homes, and a serious knee injury during his senior year of high school, and was selected 2001 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year.
2003	Neil Parry, San Jose State University
Parry broke his leg in a game for SJSU; a week later, following an infection and nerve and arterial damage, it was amputated. Three years later, Parry, wearing a prosthetic leg, returned to the field for SJSU.
2004	Tim Frisby, University of South Carolina
Frisby walked on at wide receiver for the Gamecocks at age 39, after a 20-year career in the Army.
2005	Tulane University
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and the closure of the campus for the fall semester, Tulane was forced to play all 11 of its games on the road.
2006	Patrick Henry Hughes, University of Louisville
Hughes, Louisville's second recipient, is a member of Louisville's marching band, even though he was born with no eyes and cannot straighten his arms and legs. He shared the award with his father, Patrick John Hughes.
2007	Zerbin Singleton, United States Naval Academy
Singleton overcame personal tragedy and a broken collarbone that initially prevented him from enrolling in Annapolis.
2008	Tim Tebow, University of Florida
Tebow was honored for his "countless hours preaching and providing support to less fortunate people, capitalizing on virtually every opportunity to touch the lives of others."
2009	Mark Herzlich, Boston College
Herzlich was honored for his fight to overcome Ewing's sarcoma, and inspiring his teammates and other football teams to raise money for cancer research.
2010	D.J. Williams, University of Arkansas
Williams, his mother and two sisters fled their home in Dallas, Texas to escape a drug-addicted and abusive father. They landed in Arkansas, where they put down roots of their own. Williams used his stature on the Razorbacks football team and spread his story and message to others in groups like the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program, the local Boys and Girls Clubs and Children’s Hospital.

External links

• Disney's Wide World of Sports website