July 13, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
Possessing all the characteristics desired by head coach Denver Johnson in an Illinois State football player, Redbird senior defensive tackle Dan Simnick was a logical choice as the recipient of the W.E. Ruebush Endowed Scholarship for the 2007-08 academic school year.
The W.E. Ruebush (REW-bush) Endowed Scholarship is named for the former Illinois State football team captain in 1932. Ruebush, who died in 1991, lettered four years as a center on the Redbird football team, before graduating in 1932. He also lettered two seasons in baseball and basketball and was active in the Gamma Phi Circus, the "N" Club, band, orchestra, Commerce Club, Varsity Club and the Philadelphian Debate Society.
"Dan is the epitome of a Redbird," said Johnson. "He is a guy that came to Illinois State and struggled to make the team. There was a time when we didn't know if he was ever going to be a contributor. He just bowed his neck, continued to improve and, quite candidly, proved all of our evaluations of him wrong. Dan has made himself into a good football player.
"He has great pride, great courage and great work ethic. He is also a great teammate, an outstanding student and a quality individual. Dan Simnick exemplifies what you would wish every Redbird would aspire to be."
Simnick, from Naperville, Ill., played in all 13 games during the 2006 season and posted five starting assignments on the defensive line. He finished
the season with eight tackles, including two solo stops and a tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery.
He carries a 3.40 grade-point-average and received his bachelor's degree in business administration. Simnick will begin the MBA program at ISU in the fall and has been named to the AFNI Athletics Honor Roll six times.
"This is a great honor and this is humbling to receive this scholarship," Siminick said. "It is hard work to balance academics and athletics, but if you go to class, apply yourself and get extra help when needed, you are going to be able to succeed if you put forth the effort.
"Coach Johnson and his staff really value dedication to the program and the intangibles that an individual can bring to the team. I'm proof that in this program if you do what you are told and work hard, good things will happen to you. I would also like to thank Coach (Chris) Patton and Coach (Bill) Teerlinck for all the individual attention they gave me and the work that they put into making me a better football player."
The Ruebush endowed scholarship is presented annually to a Redbird football player, who carries at least a 3.2 GPA. The scholarship was established on October 22, 2005, by the W.E. Ruebush Foundation, which was funded to provide journalism and athletic scholarships. In addition to the scholarship at Illinois State, the foundation has also funded higher education awards at Iowa and Florida.
The W.E. Ruebush Endowed Scholarship is one of 16 endowed scholarships available to Illinois State student-athletes funded by private donors. It is also one of eight fully endowed scholarships in athletics and the only one dedicated to football.
For more information about supporting this, or any other Illinois State University endowments scholarships, call The Redbird Club office at (309) 438-3803.
