January 23, 2007
Texas A&M senior baseball player Parker Dalton has been named as one of the six nominees for the Third Annual Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup.
Dalton was named the 2006 Big 12 Male Sportsperson of the Year and earned the NCAA Division I Sportsmanship Award for his efforts in welcoming six Tulane athletic teams to the A&M campus following Hurricane Katrina.
?Parker is the definition of a student-athlete,? A&M head coach Rob Childress said. ?He is a great ambassador for Texas A&M baseball and Aggie athletics, as well as the university and the Bryan/College Station community.?
The Wooden Cup is given to a collegiate and a professional athlete who have made the greatest difference in the lives of others. The award recipients will be announced at a ceremony held at Atlanta?â„¢s Ansley Golf Club on Thursday, Jan. 25.
The Wooden Cup is named in honor of John Wooden, one of the most successful coaches in collegiate basketball history. Wooden?â„¢s legacy as a compassionate, civic-minded individual continues to make him one of the most admired coaches in the history of collegiate sports.
Recipients of the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup are chosen by a committee of distinguishable individuals involved in professional and collegiate athletics across the country. Vincent Dooley, former University of Georgia athletic director, chairs the committee.
The Denver Broncos?â„¢ John Lynch has been named the 2007 Professional Wooden Cup recipient.
The finalists for the college division include:
Parker Dalton ?- Texas A&M University, Baseball
Anna Key - University of California, Women?â„¢s Soccer
Eric Leroux - Princeton University, Men?â„¢s Ice Hockey
Carl Pendleton - University of Oklahoma, Football
Ryan Hotchkiss - University of Texas at El Paso, Football
Kandia Batchelor - Florida State University, Women?â„¢s Track & Field (Sprinter)
The Award is sponsored by Athletes for a Better World. Founded in 1998, ABW was created by Fred Northrup to change the culture of American sports. ABW?â„¢s innovative vision is to articulate the positive values that have historically been the foundation of good sportsmanship and citizenship.
The Aggies open the 2007 season on February 6, against Texas Southern. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Olsen Field.