The winners of the eighth annual
Walter Payton Achievement Award, which is given to one player from each team participating in the
MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney, were announced by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. The 11
th annual game, which showcases and celebrates teams from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, will feature the
South Carolina State University Bulldogs of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the
University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 6, at the newly renovated Orlando Citrus Bowl and will be televised live on ESPN.
The 2015 Walter Payton Achievement Award winners, voted on by students and fans, are South Carolina State senior tight end
Temarrick Hemingway and Arkansas-Pine Bluff redshirt senior safety
Kevin Rucker Jr. First presented in 2008, the Walter Payton Achievement Award is named in honor of the late
Walter Payton, a former All-American at Jackson State University (1971 to 1974) and Professional Football Hall of Fame running back who spent his entire NFL career (1975 to 1987) with the Chicago Bears. The award recognizes exemplary student-athletes, shining a light on character and embodiment of team spirit.
Finalists are selected by a committee consisting of academic advisers and coaches from the two participating schools. Voting, open on the MEAC/SWAC Challenge website to students, fans, alumni and fans for a month leading up to the game, closed Wednesday, Aug. 26. Award winners are celebrated at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge kickoff banquet at the Walt Disney World Resort. The award, to be given out this year on Friday, Sept. 4, is regularly presented by Walter Payton's son, Jarrett Payton.
Past winners of the Walter Payton Achievement Award include, for 2014:
Alan Cruz, Alabama A&M, and
Quentin Todd, North Carolina A&T State University; 2013:
Jonathan Pillow, Florida A&M University, and
Kevin Eugene, Mississippi Valley State University; 2012:
Bobby Wenzig, Alabama State University, and
Arlen McCray-Nibbs, Bethune-Cookman University; 2011:
Nesly Marcellon, Bethune-Cookman University, and
Raheem Cardwell, Prairie View A&M University; 2010:
Kevin Green, Delaware State University, and
Gary Hollimon, Southern University; 2009:
Van Phillips, Grambling State University, and
Zachary Middleton, South Carolina State University; 2008:
Kevin Teel, Hampton University, and
Marcus Smith, Jackson State University.
Tickets for the game are available via Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or
www.ticketmaster.com. Special packages for the MEAC/SWAC Challenge and Walt Disney World Theme Park admission can be purchased
via this link. For travel packages that include resort accommodations, game tickets, theme park tickets and much more, visit
AnthonyTravel.com/MEACSWAC or call 1-888-632-6951. The MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a subsidiary of ESPN. For more information, visit
meacswacchallenge.com.
ESPN Events ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a large portfolio of collegiate sporting events worldwide. The roster includes three Labor Day weekend college football games, 13 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 250-plus hours of programming, reaches almost 64 million viewers and attracts over 700,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in Boca Raton, Boise, Birmingham, Dallas-Fort Worth, Albuquerque, St. Petersburg and Las Vegas, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as provides unique experiences for teams and fans.
ESPN Events also manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.
Collegiate FootballAdvoCare Texas Kickoff (Houston);
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl (Houston);
Birmingham Bowl (Alabama);
Boca Raton Bowl (Florida);
Celebration Bowl (Atlanta);
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise);
Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque);
Hawai'i Bowl (Honolulu);
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth);
MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.);
Orlando Kickoff (Florida);
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl (Nassau);
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.);
Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl (Nevada);
St. Petersburg Bowl (Florida);
The Home Depot College Football Awards (Atlanta) and
Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth)
Collegiate Basketball AdvoCare Invitational (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.);
Armed Forces Classic (Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan);
DIRECTV Wooden Legacy (Orange County, Calif.);
College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy's (Los Angeles);
Gildan Charleston Classic (South Carolina);
Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu);
Jimmy V Men's Classic Presented by Corona (New York City); Jimmy V Women's Classic Presented by Corona (Hartford/Storrs, Conn.);
NIT Season Tip-Off (Brooklyn, N.Y.);
Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan) and
State Farm Champions Classic (Chicago)
For more information, visit the official
website,
Facebook,
Twitter or
YouTube pages.
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ESPN Media Contact: Rachel Margolis Siegal at 860-766-2798 or
rachel.m.siegal@espn.com
