May 22, 2007
National Student-Athlete Day celebrated its 20th year of existence on April 6, in a day set aside to honor student-athletes who have achieved excellence in academics and athletics, while having made significant contributions to their schools and communities. Many Patriot League institutions held their own celebration of National Student-Athlete Day with campus events throughout the month of April.
American celebrated National Student-Athlete day by teaming up with the Delta Tau Delta fraternity for the third annual Delt Dodgeball tournament. Proceeds from the dodgeball tournament went to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The American athletic department came up with the idea to participate in this event from a brainstorming activity done at the NCAA Division I Regional Leadership Conference in Jersey City, N.J. last fall. Two American Student-Athlete Advisory Committee members, Dwayne Hash and Christina Wright, along with American Associate Athletic Director Jon Palumbo, put together an action plan to bridge the gap between athletics and the rest of the campus community, which resulted in the dodgeball event to celebrate National Student-Athlete Day.
The athletic administration at Colgate pitched in to let their student-athletes know how proud they are of their accomplishments by handing out Turfer jackets with the Colgate Athletics symbol on the front.
At Lafayette, a day filled with fun contests and food was the focus of celebrating its student-athletes. Athletic Director Bruce McCutcheon opened up the event, while Athletic Communications Assistant Matt Panto served as the announcer. Four events were held, including a three-legged race, a pie eating contest, an egg toss and a tug-of-war. The day was a special thanks to the student-athletes who have worked hard throughout the year not only on the athletic field, but also in the classroom. For pictures from Lafayette's National Student-Athlete Day click here.
Lehigh built on the concept that each unit of its campus should have a stronger commitment in attending each others events, thus participating in a campus-wide Spirit Week. Some of the week's events included sporting events, theatre productions, the Inauguration of Lehigh's new President, Alice P. Gast, and Greek week shows. Spirit Week was a pilot event for Lehigh in hopes to improve the community support on campus. For a complete listing of the week's events click here.
National Student-Athlete Day was created in 1987 by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) and Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society. Currently, it is presented with the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). National Student-Athlete Day is one of America's strongest endeavors to increase the positive virtues of sport and the recognition of student-athletes nationwide.