Quarterback Tim Tebow Named Disney Spirit Award Winner
Thursday, November 20, 2008 | Football
University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, whose remarkable humanitarian efforts have captivated college football fans nationwide, has been chosen for the Disney Spirit Award given annually to college football's most inspirational figure.
Tebow will be presented with the award during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards at the Atlantic Dance Hall at Walt Disney World Resort on Thursday, Dec. 11. The 18th annual awards show is scheduled for 7:30-9:30 p.m. ET and will be televised live on ESPN.
"I would like to accept this award on behalf of those who inspire me and give the credit to my Lord, my family, my coaches and my teammates at the University of Florida,” said Tebow. “I've always been very passionate about football, but it is not going to be my life's work forever and I'd like to think that I am not defined by it. To be recognized by Disney Sports for the way I try to use my platform to spread my message about faith and to join the list of recipients of this award is a blessing and it is very, very humbling."
Despite juggling the extraordinary demands of being one of the marquee players in college football, Tebow has spent countless hours preaching and providing support to less fortunate people, capitalizing on virtually every opportunity to touch the lives of others. This past year during his three extended breaks from school and football, he went on mission trips to Croatia, Thailand and the Philippines.
In the Philippines, he visited an orphanage led by his father, Bob, which houses nearly 50 Filipino children. Tebow and his group stayed at the orphanage and spoke in surrounding schools and markets, spreading his universal messages of hope, faith and perseverance to nearly 5,000 people while also assisting patients in medical clinics.
In fact, Tebow has said his sermon in front of 10,000 high school students in the Philippines was one of his most satisfying experiences.
In all, Tebow has spent countless hours doing community service work, including visiting pediatric wings at various hospitals, as well as visiting numerous Florida prisons. He was recently honored with the University of Florida's Office of Student Life's Goodwill Gator Community Service Award.
“Disney Sports is proud to present this honor to an inspiring young man, who has captured the hearts of college football fans around the country through his goodwill, selflessness and commitment to help others,” said Ken Potrock, senior vice president of Disney Sports.
The Disney Spirit Award is presented annually to college football's most inspirational figure. Tebow becomes the 13th recipient of award, joining past honorees Daniel Huffman (1996), Dwight Collins (1997), Matt Hartl (1998), East Carolina University (1999), Hameen Ali (2000), the United States Service Academy football teams (2001), Dewayne White (2002), Neil Parry (2003), Tim Frisby (2004), the Tulane University football team (2005), University of Louisville band member Patrick Henry Hughes (2006) and Zerbin Singleton (2007).
University of Louisville band member Patrick Henry Hughes captured national headlines for his inspiring story of determination and remarkable achievement despite being physically challenged. Born with a rare genetic disorder that left him with no eyes and the inability to fully straighten his arms or legs, and with his dad guiding his way, Hughes nevertheless became a trumpet player in the university marching band, a concert pianist, a recording artist and, most important, a straight-A student. The significant role of marching bands amid the landscape of college football, coupled with Hughes' remarkable achievements despite his physical challenges, made him the overwhelming choice for the Disney Spirit Award even though the award has traditionally been given to a student-athlete.
A senior aerospace engineering major in 2007 at the U.S. Naval Academy, slot back Zerbin Singleton overcame several obstacles growing up, including leaving Alaska after his mother's incarceration following a parole violation, to follow his dream of one day becoming a part of the U.S. space program.. He met his father for the first time as a senior in high school, and then was forced to cope with his father's suicide a year later. Initially accepted into the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy, Singleton's dreams of aviation were derailed after his car was struck by a drunk driver one week before graduating from high school as class valedictorian. As a result of a broken collarbone suffered in the accident, he couldn't participate in Navy's plebe summer and was subsequently denied admittance to the academy. Undeterred by his physical limitations as a result of the car accident, Singleton never gave up and instead enrolled his freshman year at Georgia Institute of Technology. Once healthy enough to complete the physical requirements set forth by the Naval Academy in 2004, he transferred to the academy in Annapolis, Md.
| Disney Spirit Award Recipients | ||
| Date | Recipient | School (Hometown) |
| 1996 | Daniel Huffman | Rossville High School (Rossville, Ill.) |
| 1997 | Dwight Collins | Central Florida University (Lake Charles, La.) |
| 1998 | Matt Hartl | Northwestern University (Denver, Colo.) |
| 1999 | East Carolina University * | East Carolina University (Greenville, N.C.) |
| 2000 | Hameen Ali | College of William & Mary (Dover, Del.) |
| 2001 | U.S. Air Force Academy ** | U.S. Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, Colo.) |
| United States Military Academy ** | United States Military Academy (West Point, N.Y.) | |
| United States Naval Academy ** | United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, Md.) | |
| 2002 | Dewayne White | University of Louisville (Marbury, Ala.) |
| 2003 | Neil Parry | San Jose State University (Sonora, Calif.) |
| 2004 | Tim Frisby | University of South Carolina ( Allentown, Pa.) |
| 2005 | Tulane University* | Tulane University (New Orleans, La.) |
| 2006 | Patrick Henry Hughes | University of Louisville (Louisville, Ky.) |
| 2007 | Zerbin Singleton | United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, Md.) |
| 2008 | Tim Tebow | University of Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.) |
| *presented to entire football team | ||
| ** presented to football teams at all three service academies | ||
