The Frank Deford Award
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| Frank Deford, 2004 |
Presented annually to the top student Sports Information
Assistant(s) at Williams College since 1990. The Deford Award is
believed to be the only one of its kind in the nation.
Frank Deford was named the best living sportswriter in the nation
by GQ magazine in 1989. For many years Deford was the top writer at
Sports Illustrated and later served as the Editor of 'The National'
-- the first national sports daily in America. Deford has penned
more than a dozen books and at least two have become movies --
Alex: The Life of a Child and Everybody's
All-American.
Deford has since returned to Sports Illustrated as a writer and
serves as a commentator on National Public Radio.
Deford is a Princeton graduate, but his love of the color purple
and his involvement with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation were
contributing reasons for the award being created in his name.
Shortly after arriving at Williams in the fall of 1989 Sports
Information Director Dick Quinn wanted to create a way to recognize
the outstanding contributions of the student sports information
assistants.
Quinn remembered an article by Deford years ago in Sports
Illustrated bemoaning the fact that his favorite color purple
seemed to be worn by teams that could never win the big game.
Deford lamented that his favorite color could never grab the golden
ring -- the Vikings in the Super Bowl and the Lakers in the NBA
Finals (before Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar).
Quinn and Deford also shared a life experience that made them
kindred spirits. Both Quinn and Deford have lost a daughter to
Cystic Fibrosis.
Quinn contacted Deford and convinced him to allow the Ephs to name
the award recognizing the top Eph student sports information
assistant in his honor. Quinn assured Deford that the award would
be worthy of his good name due to the outstanding talents of the
student Sports Information assistants on his staff and the overall
quality of the Eph teams.
Deford came to campus to present the first award and a long list
of nationally recognized figures in the sports field have
followed.
The Deford Award is presented in either late April or early May on
campus in an event open to the college and local community. No
student can win the Deford Award more than once.
Frank Deford established the following traditions in his May 1990
visit:
+ The evening begins with dinner in a dining hall
with selected student sports information assistants. This came
about as a way to give Frank Deford a different kind of dining
experience.
+ Award ceremony must begin at 7:00 PM and end at
8:00 PM and it must be free. This was enforced to enable Deford to
drive up and back from his Connecticut home on the day of the
event.
+ Presenter receives no appearance fee but does
get expenses. Deford wanted to keep this award 'accessible' to
future students.
+ Format: Introduction by Sports Information
Director, presentation of the Deford Award and then the presenter
talks on a topic of his/her choice for about 20 minutes before
taking questions from the audience.
* * READ about the 24th Frank Deford & Aaron Pinsky awards May 2, 2013 * *
Deford Award Winners &
Presenters
| Year |
Winner(s) |
Presenter |
| 2013 | Megan Casey '13, Darren Hartwell '13, & James Ray '13 |
Jay Bilas, ESPN |
| 2012 | Tim Goggins '12, Sarah Herr '12, Harry Marino '12 & Matt Piltch '12 |
John Feinstein Author & Washington Post Columnist |
| 2011 | James Allison '11 & Lorenzo Patrick '11 | Michael Fountain ESPN College Football & Basketball GameDay Producer |
| 2010 | Tom Coleman '10, Dan Pesquera '10 & Rachel Rosten '10 |
Gordon Edes ESPNBoston |
| 2009 | Ben Horwitz '09 & Liz Kantack '09 | Sam Flood '83 Coordinating Producer of Sports, NBC |
| 2008 | James DiCosmo '08 & Jacob Cerny '09 | Jackie MacMullan Boston Globe & ESPN |
| 2007 |
Ryan Fote '07, Taya Latham
'07, Meghan Stetson '07 & Alex Tanton '07 |
Ernie Accorsi Former GM NY Giants |
| 2006 | Katie Baldiga '07 & Mike Overend '06 | Fay Vincent
'60 Former Commissioner of Baseball |
| 2005 | Kyle Acebo '05, Bart
Clareman '05, Scott Moskowitz '05 & Anna Swisher '05 |
Bob Ryan Boston Globe & ESPN |
| 2004 | Eli Lazarus '04 & Mike
Needham '04 |
Frank
Deford |
| 2003 | Matt Casey '03, Dan Gittes
'03 & Leo Salinger '03 |
Ethan Brooks
'96 Baltimore Ravens |
| 2002 | Sergio Espinosa '03 & Chrissy Fletcher '03 |
Harry Sheehy '75 |
| 2001 | David Gise '01 |
Jonathan Kraft
'86 NE Patriots/NE Revolution |
| 2000 |
Sawyer Haig '00 |
John Walters Sports Illustrated |
| 1999 | Scott Reynolds '99 |
Jack McCallum Sports Illustrated |
| 1998 |
Andy Doyle '98 |
*Pete McEntegart
'91 Sports Illustrated |
| 1997 |
Dylan Ragozin '97 |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - |
| 1996 |
Graeme Scandrett '96 | Beth Schmidt
'86 ABC Sports |
| 1995 |
Neil Glass '95 & Stacey Whitcomb '95 | Tim Layden '78 Sports Illustrated |
| 1994 |
Colston Young '95 |
Peter May
'73 Boston Globe |
| 1993 |
Kevin Greenberg '93 |
Mary Kate Shea '81 |
| 1992 |
Dave Ryan '92 |
Dave Marash
'64 ABC's "Nightline" |
| 1991 |
Pete McEntegart '91 | Dan Shaughnessy Boston Globe |
| 1990 |
Jeff Friedman '90 |
Frank Deford |
| * 1st
Deford Award winner to be a presenter |
|
The Aaron Pinsky '06 Sports Broadcasting Award
_Winner_Lorenzo_Patrick_-11_500_x_300.jpg?max_height=210&max_width=350)
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| 1st Pinsky Award
4/26/10: L to R: Lorenzo Patrick '11 Peggy, Lincoln, and Rachel Pinsky |
Aaron Pinsky graduated from Williams in 2006 with a major in
mathematics. Aaron was known throughout the Williams community as
the play-by-play broadcaster for football, men’s basketball,
and women’s basketball.
For three years, he delighted Eph fans, alums, and families across
the country with his smooth voice, sharp analysis, and patented
“Pinsky Points,” awarded to players for displaying
unusual hustle or heart during a game. Aaron travelled down to
Virginia with the rest of the radio crew for the 2004 NCAA
Men’s Basketball Tournament, where he called the national
championship game.
Aaron had a personality that people gravitated toward. He was known for his unique sense of humor and general affability. He always looked for a reason to laugh and have a good time with his friends and family. Beyond his involvement with Sports Information, he was the ideal Williams renaissance man: he was a beloved JA, he served on the Record editorial board as both an executive and sports editor, and he played French horn in the Symphonic Winds and other local orchestras.
Sadly, in February 2010 Aaron lost a two-year battle with brain cancer. Until the end, he remained dedicated to those around him. Andres Schabelman ’06 recalled, “I can’t imagine anyone else handling what was coming with such integrity and relative degree of positivity.” Aaron’s fiancée, Ellie Schmidt ‘06, added, “He remained the joyous, witty, loving and genuine person that he was throughout and despite his illness.”
Aaron touched countless lives within and beyond the Purple Valley. He leaves a legacy of dedication to and love for family, friends, and the Williams community.
Beginning in April 2010 the Aaron Pinsky ’06 Sports
Broadcasting Award has been presented annually to the top Williams
Student Sports Information Assistant(s) for excellence in sports
broadcast journalism.
The Aaron Pinsky ’06 Sports Broadcasting Award was conceived
and created by Aaron’s Eph friends Michael Needham ’04
and Zack Ulman ’06.
No student can win the Aaron Pinsky Award more than once.
Thw Aaron Oinsky '06 Broadcasting Award is believed to be the only award of its kind on a college or university campus in the U.S.
Aaron Pinsky '06 Sports Broadcasting Award Winners
| Year | Winner(s) |
| 2013 | Jake Abrahams '14 & Taylor Foehl '14 |
| 2012 | Nick Fogel '12, Aayush Khadka '12 & Connor Stern |
| 2011 | Tim Goggins & Will Slack '11 |
| 2010 | Lorenzo Patrick '11 |