FRISCO, Texas – Bucknell punter Alex Pechin was presented with the Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award during the STATS FCS Awards Banquet on Friday evening in Frisco, Texas.
Named after the late school teacher and wife of legendary Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson, the fifth annual Doris Robinson Award has been presented to an FCS student-athlete who excels in the classroom, the community and beyond.
"Athletics, academics and community service are not mutually exclusive, and that's one thing that my coaches have preached to all of our team throughout this entire season and something I truly believe,” Pechin said during his acceptance speech. “I believe that, when combined together, the effect that any one can bring is greater than any individual component can bring by itself."
“My ultimate goal is obviously to keep playing and I know that if that happens it will provide a platform to engage the community and to help others,” Pechin continued. “I know that one day the game is going to come knock at my door and take my cleats away, but when that happens I know that I can use my engineering degree and it will allow me to help people again, but in a different way.”
Pechin concludes his highly decorated career at Bucknell as the 14th consensus All-American in League history after breaking the Patriot League single-season record with 47.3 yards per punt. The Kennett Square, Pa. native was named the Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the third time in 2019 after receiving the Patriot League’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in July.
Next up, Pechin will compete in the 95th Annual East-West Shrine Game, the longest-running college all-star football game in the nation, played in St. Petersburg, Fla. The game will be televised live on the NFL Network at 3 p.m. EST on Saturday, Jan. 18.
2020 STATS FCS Doris Robinson Award - FCS Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Alex Pechin, Bucknell, 5th-year, P, Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville
*Pechin is the 14th consensus All-America selection in Patriot League history.
*He is a three-time Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year, carrying 3.90 cumulative grade point average (GPA) as a biomedical engineering and management for engineers major.
*In 2019, he broke the Patriot League single-season record with an FCS-best 47.3-yard punt average to receive First-Team All-Patriot League honors for the fourth time.
*Pechin finished his career fifth in FCS history with a 44.5-yard punt average, helping to earn an invitation to the 2020 East-West Shrine Game.
*He has served as a Bucknell football team peer tutor a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and completed internships with Orbit Biomedical, a startup company dedicated to gene and cell therapy treatment for patients suffering from sight-threatening diseases.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FCS MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
Pechin is the fourth Patriot League student-athlete to receive an FCS major award and the first since Fordham running back Chase Edmonds claimed the Jerry Rice Award for the FCS Rookie of the Year in 2014. Colgate running backs Kenny Gamble (1987) and Jamaal Branch (2003) both received the Walter Payton Award for the FCS’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player.
In addition, three Patriot League head football coaches have won the Eddie Robinson Award as the top FCS head coach; Mark Duffner (Holy Cross, 1987), Bill Russo (Lafayette, 1988) and Pete Lembo (Lehigh, 2001).
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.