Former Blue Devil Earns Prestigious NCAA Leadership Award
By Chris Brown
Former Duke Basketball Grant Hill was recently named the 2017 recipient of the NCAA President’s Gerald R. Ford Award for leadership.
Former Duke All-American Grant Hill was named the latest recipient of the NCAA President’s Gerald R. Ford award. The NCAA Ford Award is given to an individual who has exhibited significant leadership in college sports.
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Grant Hill finished his college career as one of the all-time greatest players in school history. He helped lead Duke to back-to-back national titles in 1991 and 1992 under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. The versatile forward accumulated over 1,900 points, 700 rebounds, 400 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocks in his career at Duke in addition to winning numerous ACC and NCAA awards.
NCAA President Mark Emmert had this to say about former Blue Devil Grant Hill receiving the “tremendous honor“:
"“Grant Hill’s phenomenal success as a basketball player and graduate of Duke University paved the way for him to provide opportunities for other students to pursue higher education. We all enjoyed watching as he achieved success on the basketball court, but I am most impressed with how he has used his professional success as a platform to regularly advocate for college sports while working to improve the lives of others through his work as a supporter of higher education and the well-being of kids all over the country.”"
Hill has continued working in basketball and made huge contributions for community service. The former Duke forward works as a college basketball analyst for Turner Sports. He has donated millions of dollars to the university and to helping students pursue higher education, establishing the Calvin Hill Scholarship Endowment Fund at Duke in honor of his father. Hill was also named to President Obama’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition and Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign to encourage healthy eating and physical activity.
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Hill will receive the award next week at the NCAA Convention on January 20th in Nashville, TN. Congrats to former Blue Devil Grant Hill on being honored with this prestigious award and representing for Duke Basketball!