2010 WATKINS AWARD CELEBRATES ATHLETIC AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

By Leland Stein III

LOS ANGELES – The National Alliance of African American Athletes (The Alliance) as it has for the past 19 years, recently recognized the nation’s supreme high school scholar athletes.

At the prestigious Marriott Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, an exemplary group from around the nation was feted during the annual Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Awards Gala.

The award is presented each year to the "Elite Five" finalists for the top African American male high school scholar athletes in the country.

This year’s collective “Elite Five” is exceptional in every sense of the word. All are All-American athletes who dispel the lingering notion that most African-American male student/athletes are not concerned with education, only the playing fields.

These five young men combine scholarship, athleticism, community awareness and volunteerism to form at their young age the character of developing men that are primed to take a place in society as more than just athletes.

The 2010 Watkins Award Finalist are Brandon Willis of Duncan, South Carolina; David Yankey from Atlanta, Ga.; Evan Washington who prepped in Dallas, Tx; Devin Gardner from Detroit, Mi; and Eric Reid out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Master and Mistress of Ceremonies were comedian Lamont King and actress/model Claudia Jordan. The keynote speaker, Jemele Hill, a former Detroit Mumford High and Michigan State graduate, is now a columnist and television personality for ESPN.

“I think the Watkins Award is a reminder that there are a number of wonderful Black male athletes out here,” Hill told me, “who are prepared and equipped to be future leaders. Too often we never talk about or highlight young men like this. That is what makes the Watkins special, it focuses on the total person with education at the forefront.”

Hill follows a group that includes coach Tyrone Willingham, NY Times columnist Bill Rhoden, NFL coach Dennis Green, NBA player John Salley as keynote speakers, just to name a few.

This year’s group is headed to universities throughout the country. Washington an offensive lineman is carrying a 3.9 GPA and has enrolled at Louisiana State; Gardner, a quarterback, has enrolled at Michigan and carried a 3.4; Yankey an offensive lineman has enrolled at Stanford and had an 4.0; Willis is a defensive end, who has earned a 4.0 is headed to North Carolina; Reid a defensive back is also headed to Louisiana State has 4.7.

“When I first heard about the Award I did not know what to think,” Washington said. “But after this weekend and meeting all the guys, present and past, I’m thankful I made it to the ‘Elite Five.’ ”

To qualify for the Watkins Award the student/athletes have to write a personal essay, write a bio page that highlights community service and extracurricular school activities, submit official transcripts and produced at least three letters of recommendation.

“I’m a senior and I’m taking honors classes,” Reid explained, “so at first I did not want to do anything extra. I was very busy, but now that I’m here I’m very happy I did the paper work. This is unlike any fraternity I’ve seen in sports.”

In most situations it takes the parents to push the students to do the extra effort it requires to be considered for the Watkins Award.

However, in the case of Yankey, the Stanford coaching staff cajoled him to apply for the Award. “My coaches told me I would be a great candidate for the Award,” he said. Yankey joins a school that over the years have had more Watkins Finalist than any other university; the list is fast approaching 20 Watkins scholar athletes that have earn athletic scholarships to Stanford.

“The 2010 Watkins Award features another year of fine student athletes,” Everette Pearsall, Executive Director of The Alliance, said. “Each of these young men is well equipped for success academically. We have continued to recognize and honor the premier African American Scholar Athletes in the United States.”

The Watkins Award has been presented annually since 1992. Previous awardees include Rhodes Scholar, Myron Rolle, Justin Blalock of the Atlanta Falcons, Ted Ginn Jr. of the Miami Dolphins, Lorenzo Alexander of the Washington Redskins, Mohammed Massaquoi of the Cleveland Browns, Darnell Dinkins of the New Orleans Saints, LaVarr Arrington of the New York Giants, Grant Irons and Ronald Curry formerly of the Oakland Raiders, Deryck Toles of the Indianapolis Colts, Marcedes Lewis of Jacksonville Jaguars, Ernie Sims of the Detroit Lions, and Darius Walker of the Denver Broncos.

Other Watkins Family members are Shane Battier (Duke, Class of 1997), Marcus Houston (Colorado State, 2000), 2001 finalist J.R. Lemon (Stanford, NFL), 2008 finalist Matthew Daniels (Duke), 2008 finalist Covaughn DeBoskie (Cal), 2008 finalist DeVier Posey (Ohio State), 2005 finalist Vincent Oghobaase (Duke), 2001 finalist Michael Craven (Stanford, L.A. Avengers), 1999 finalist Chris Lewis (Stanford, NFL), 2006 finalist and projected NFL 1st round pick Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, just to name a few.

The Award has evolved into a fraternity of scholar athletes, who have collectively put community service and academics at the top of their agenda.

One of the better things about the Watkins Award's Gala each year is that many of the past winners return to honor the new young men selected into this family of scholar athletes.

Visit www.naaaa.com online for more information.

Leland Stein can be reached at lelstein3@aol.com.