Gonzalez Is Socrates Award Nominee

Dec. 12, 2001

University of Miami senior offensive tackle Joaquin Gonzalez already has earned the 2001 “Academic Heisman”.

Now you can help one of the nation’s top offensive tackles earn more acclaim by lending your support to Joaquin as he pursues the Socrates Award from Sporting News Radio.

As all Hurricanes fans know, Joaquin epitomizes the term “scholar-athlete.”

The 6-foot-6, 298-pound Miami native is a Dean’s List member and a three-time Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Team member, being named to the First Team in 2000. He is also a three-time BIG EAST Academic All-Conference selection and was an Iron Arrow inductee in 2000 (the highest academic honor bestowed to any UM student or staff member). He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in May of 2001.

Athletically, Joaquin’s accomplishments are equally impressive. The Football Writers Association named him First Team All-America two times, in 2000 and 2001, and he has been named a second-team All-American numerous times. Joaquin was selected to the First Team All-BIG EAST in both 2000 and 2001 and was the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year in 1998 – the first recipient of the award to earn All-Conference Academic honors in the same season. Also,Joaquin is extremely active in the community, serving as a motivational speaker at local elementary schools and participating in the “Read To Win” program.

Sporting News Radio, the official radio partner of the March of Dimes’ National Athletic Awards, presents the 3rd Annual Socrates Award to honor achievement by the best of our nation’s student athletes. The Award is presented annually to the college athlete who best exemplifies excellence in athletics and academics.

We all know Joaquin is a perfect example of the criteria of the Socrates Creed, which embodies the essence of a “Strong Mind in a Strong Body”:

* A student-athlete who has shown himself or herself to be a leader and quality contributor in their sport(s)

* A student-athlete who has shown himself or herself to be an outstanding student academically

* A student-athlete who has shown himself or herself to be a quality citizen in their community

Joaquin joins seven other outstanding scholar-athletes in the finals for the award: Courtney Choate (New Mexico Women’s Tennis), Nuria Clau (Wake Forest Women’s Golf), Stacey Dales (Oklahoma Women’s Basketball), Andre Davis (Virginia Tech Football), Zak Kustok (Northwestern Football), Eli Manning (Mississippi Football), Erica Perkins (Washington State Women’s Tennis).

How To Vote for the 2002 SocratesYou can vote for this year’s Socrates Award winner! Your vote will help determine who the 2002 Socrates Award winner will be. Simply log on to the Internet and type in www.sportingnews.com/socrates. Then, find the voting box and choose your candidate.

Previous Socrates Award winners are: 2000 – Drew Brees, Purdue football, 2001 – Ben Hamilton, Minnesota football.

Sporting News Radio’s 3rd Annual Socrates Award is part of the 14th Annual National Athletic Awards to benefit the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. For well over a decade, these awards have used the stature of the some of the world’s most inspirational athletes to advance the March of Dimes mission – saving babies.

This year’s Awards program will be held Tuesday, March 12, 2002 at the Historic Fox Theater in Detroit, Michigan. Sportscaster James Brown will return to emcee this year’s event. The 14th Annual National Athletic Awards ceremony will once again be televised to millions of viewers across the country.

For information on how to get tickets for the event, call (248) 359-1550, or write to March of Dimes, Southeast Michigan Chapter, 27600 Northwestern Hwy, Suite 150, Southfield, MI 48034.

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