NCAA to recognize several SEC honorees
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (January 22, 2020) - Three highly accomplished individuals related to the Southeastern Conference will be honored this week during special ceremonies at the NCAA Convention in Anaheim, California.
Bob Delaney, Special Advisor to the SEC for Officiating Development and Performance, will receive the Theodore Roosevelt Award; Kristin Quah, a former bowler at Vanderbilt, will be recognized as one of the winners of the 2020 Today's Top 10 Award; and David Williams, former vice chancellor and athletics director at Vanderbilt, will be a post-humous recipient of the 2020 NCAA President's Pat Summitt Award.
Delaney and Quah will be recognized during the NCAA Honors Celebration on Wednesday evening and Williams will be honored Thursday afternoon when NCAA President Mark Emmert delivers his annual State of College Sports address.
Delaney, whose remarkable life story as a New Jersey state trooper turned legendary National Basketball Association (NBA) referee transcends sports, will receive the 2020 Theodore Roosevelt Award. The "Teddy" is the highest honor the NCAA may confer on an individual. The award, which is given annually to an individual who exemplifies the ideals of college sports, is named after the former president whose concern for the conduct of college athletics led to the formation of the NCAA in 1906.
Delaney's life story moved from nearly three years as an undercover state trooper who infiltrated the world of New Jersey organized crime in the mid-1970s to that of an NBA Cares Ambassador who has drawn upon his own experiences with post-traumatic stress (PTS) to inspire United States veterans and active duty service members suffering from the effects of PTS.
Delaney stepped down in Fall 2017 as the NBA's Vice President, Referee Operations and Director of Officials after a 30-year officiating career with the League. In August 2018, he was appointed Special Advisor for Officiating Development and Performance by the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Quah, a former bowler at Vanderbilt and the SEC's Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2019, will be recognized as one of only 10 winners of the 2020 Today's Top 10 Award. The award recognizes former student-athletes for their successes on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The recipients completed their athletics eligibility during the 2018-19 academic year.
A graduate in biomedical and electrical engineering, Quah helped lead the Commodores to a team national championship victory in 2018 and a national runner-up finish in 2019. The 2016 National Tenpin Coaches Association Rookie of the Year went on to earn three NTCA All-America honors. Quah also has competed internationally as a member of the Singapore bowling team.
She is a two-time recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 Award, presented to the student-athlete competing at a championship site with the highest grade-point average. She also received a 2019 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Quah was a Vanderbilt Undergraduate Littlejohn Summer Research Scholar, where she studied MRI temperature imaging for noninvasive surgery, and she presented her findings at an international MRI conference in spring 2019.
She was also a member of the SyBBURE Searle Undergraduate Research Program, which funds students who hope to explore aspects of science, technology, engineering and math through independent research and group projects. Quah served on the Vanderbilt Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and mentored freshman engineering students.
Williams, former vice chancellor and athletics director at Vanderbilt, will be the recipient of the 2020 NCAA President's Pat Summitt Award. Gail Williams will accept the award on her late husband's behalf.
Williams is the fourth recipient of the award, which recognizes an individual in the Association's membership who has demonstrated devotion to development of student-athletes and has made a positive impact on their lives.
Williams joined Vanderbilt's law faculty in 2000 as vice chancellor, general counsel and secretary of the university. He was the first African American vice chancellor in Vanderbilt history. Williams' athletics responsibilities began in 2003, and in 2012, Williams was named vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletics director.
Under Williams' leadership, the athletics department saw significant success both on and off the field. The Commodores won four national championships, 19 conference championships and tournaments, and the football team competed in six bowl games after a 26-year drought.