Dec. 8, 2006
GLENVIEW, Ill. -
Illinois State senior offensive lineman Janiah Downing has been named as one of the 10 finalists by the Awards and Recognition Association (ARA) for its annual sportsmanship award, given to one outstanding NCAA Division I collegiate football player who best personifies the spirit of sportsmanship.
Finalists for the 2006 sportsmanship award represent a variety of schools of all sizes and locations throughout the United States. Award criteria take into consideration the athlete's conduct both on and off the field. Downing is joined by Memphis' Rusty Clayton, Ohio State's Doug Datish, Rutgers' Brian Leonard, Middle Tennessee State's Clint Marks, Lafayette's Brad Maurer, Oregon State's Joe Newton, Oklahoma State's Darnell Smith, California's Scott Smith and Utah's Eric Weddle.
"The ARA Sportsmanship Award was created to recognize outstanding character and leadership as it translates to sportsmanship," said Rich Zydonik, president of the ARA. "As expected, each finalist is an athletic stand out and consistently performs on the field. It's encouraging to see so many of today's collegiate athletes who consistently conduct themselves in a highly sportsmanlike manner."
In addition to blocking for the Gateway Football Conference's top passing offense over the last three years, Downing is also a leader in community service on the Redbird football team, which contributed 1,595 community service hours as a team during the 2005-06 academic year. Downing is actively involved with the Boys & Girls Club, Just Read!, Harvest of Hope canned food drive, McLean County Disadvantaged Kids Christmas Party, Washington Elementary Playground Renovation, Glenn Elementary Recess Program and Heritage Manor.
He has worked the last three years as a Preview guide for Illinois State's freshman orientation program. Downing is majoring in exercise science and carries a 2.99 cumulative grade point average. He has been a member of the AFNI Athletics Honor Roll five times and was a Scholar-BallerTM during each semester last year.
To qualify for the award, an athlete must be a starting player or significant contributor on his team, be a senior in good academic standing, demonstrate great respect for competitors, school, teammates and coaches, show an ability to accept victory and defeat graciously, convey a high degree of humility and integrity, and demonstrate commitment in the classroom and to the community.
Former Brigham Young head football coach LaVell Edwards chairs the selection committee. The 2006 award recipient will be announced in mid-December.
All NCAA Division I schools were eligible to submit nominations for the ARA Sportsmanship Award. The finalists were selected in a blind process. The winner will be selected by a blue-ribbon panel of former football coaches, sports and media professionals and representatives from ARA and other complementary organizations.
The Awards and Recognition Association is the official sponsor of the ARA Sportsmanship Award. ARA is a membership organization of 4,000 companies dedicated to increasing the professionalism of recognition specialists and advancing the awards and engraving industry.
