Nelson Receives Gopher Legacy Scholar-Athlete Award

Tony Nelson received the 2013 Henry Williams Legacy Scholar-Athlete Award at the Golden Gopher Fund Annual Banquet.

Gopher Athletics celebrated the generous donors to its endowed scholarship program and the nearly 200 student-athletes who were honored as the recipients of those scholarships for the 2013-2014 academic year at the Golden Gopher Fund Annual Banquet on Monday night in the DQ Club Room at TCF Bank Stadium.

Mike Grimm, the radio voice of Gopher football and men’s basketball, emceed the event, and former Gopher stars Blake Hoffarber (Men’s Basketball), Andy Hunt (Baseball), Becky Wacker (Women’s Hockey) were in attendance as former scholarship endowment recipients. Dr. J. Patrick Smith provided the keynote address discussing what these scholarship opportunities mean for student-athletes.

Special recognition was given to the recipients of the annual Legacy Scholar-Athlete Awards and the Director’s Award. Maggie Keefer (Women’s Diving) and Tony Nelson (Wrestling) were honored as the 2013 recipients of the Patty Berg Legacy Scholar-Athlete Award and the Henry Williams Legacy Scholar-Athlete Award, respectively, while Regent David and Janis Larson were honored with the 2013 Director’s Award.

The scholar-athlete awards serve to carry on the legacy and names of Patty Berg and Henry Williams, and to honor student-athletes who exemplify the core values of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics. An honoree must be on a full or partial scholarship, preferably in their senior year, and on track to graduate. In addition, these student-athletes should have demonstrated both academic and athletic success, and have displayed the core values of pride, personal integrity, respect for human dignity, and loyalty. Keefer and Nelson have proven themselves to be excellent examples of student-athletes who possess these core values.

The Director’s Award was established in 2002 as a way for the director of athletics to recognize external leaders for their outstanding generosity, service, and commitment to the Gopher Athletics and its student-athletes.

The Golden Gopher Fund Annual Banquet provides donors with an opportunity to see, firsthand, the impact they have on Gopher student-athletes’ lives, and also gives the student-athletes a chance to meet the individuals who financially support their athletic scholarships.

Learn more about the Golden Gopher Fund

Click Here: Fjallraven Kanken Art Spring Landscape Backpacks