Martin Named Honorary Recipient of ACC Weaver-James-Corrigan Award for 2010

April 16, 2010

GREENSBORO, NC – Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford announced today a list of 36 student-athletes who have been selected for the Weaver-James-Corrigan Award, including three student-athletes who will receive the Thacker Award. Additionally, four more student-athletes who plan to enter a professional career in their chosen sport were named honorary recipients.

The Weaver-James-Corrigan and Jim and Pat Thacker scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes–three from each league institution–who intend to pursue a graduate degree following completion of their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $5,000 to contribute to their graduate education. Each recipient has performed with distinction in both the classroom and his/her respective sports, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.

In addition to those receiving scholarship funds, four student-athletes will receive the Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award. Three golfers–Clemson’s Benjamin Martin, Virginia’s Whitney Neuhauser, and Wake Forest’s Brendan Gielow–and Duke lacrosse standout Max Quinzani will be recognized for their outstanding academic and athletic performance and intend to compete at the professional level.

The Weaver-James-Corrigan Award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver and Bob James, as well as Gene Corrigan, all of whom are former ACC commissioners. The league’s first commissioner, James H. Weaver, served the conference from 1954-70 after a stint as the Director of Athletes at Wake Forest University. His early leadership and uncompromising integrity are largely responsible for the excellent reputation enjoyed by the ACC today.

Robert C. James, a former University of Maryland football player, was named commissioner in 1971 and served in that capacity for 16 years. During his tenure, the league continued to grow in stature and became recognized as a national leader in athletes and academics, winning 23 national championships and maintaining standards of excellence in the classroom.

Eugene F. Corrigan assumed his role as the third full-time commissioner of September 1, 1987, and served until August of 1997. During Corrigan’s tenure, ACC schools captured 30 NCAA championships and two national football titles.

Prior to 1994, the Weaver-James post-graduate scholarships were given as separate honors. The Jim Weaver Award, which originated in 1970, recognized exceptional achievement on the playing field and in the classroom, while the Bob James Award, established in 1987, also honored outstanding student-athletes.

The Thacker Award, which originated in 2005, is awarded in honor of the late Jim and Pat Thacker of Charlotte, N.C. Jim Thacker was the primary play-by-play announcer for the ACC’s first television network. Recipients of the award must demonstrate outstanding performance both in athletic competition and in the classroom and intend to further their education through post-graduate studies at an ACC institution.

The 40 student-athletes will be honored on April 14, 2010 at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC at a luncheon hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club.