NORMAL, Ill. - Possessing all the characteristics desired by head coach Brock Spack in an Illinois State football player, Redbird sophomore running back Cliffton Gordon was named as recipient of the W.E. Ruebush Endowed Scholarship for the 2009-10 academic 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 and orchestra, Commerce Club, Varsity Club and the Philadelphian Debate Society.
"Cliffton means a lot to our team and plays an important role," said Spack. "He had a great spring, both in the classroom and out on the field during practice, and also worked extremely hard in the weight room. Cliffton is one of the players we never have to worry about off the field, because we know he works hard, gets good grades and is a great person all-around."
Gordon hails from Chicago Heights, Ill., and is a product of Marian Catholic High School. He played in all 11 games for ISU in 2008 as a redshirt freshman and totaled 102 yards on 20 carries for an average of 5.1 yards per carry. His best performance of the year came at Indiana State, when he rushed for 61 yards on nine attempts, which included a career-long 16-yard rush.
Gordon carries a 3.24 grade-point average (GPA), while majoring in business administration. For his efforts in the classroom, he has been named to the AFNI Honor Roll in three of his four semesters on campus.
"It's a great honor to be the recipient of this year's Ruebush Scholarship," said Gordon. "My mom always told me that being a student comes first and being an athlete comes second. So, I try to live up to those words and work hard in the classroom. I know that all the hard work in class will pay off on the field, and I work hard every day to fulfill that goal."
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 23 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 endowment scholarships, call The Redbird Club office at (309) 438-3803.
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