NCAA Award of Valor Facts for Kids

The NCAA Award of Valor is a special honor given by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA is the organization that helps run sports programs for colleges and universities in the United States. This award is given to people involved in college sports who show amazing courage or bravery in dangerous situations.

The award recognizes someone who, when faced with danger, acted bravely to prevent a disaster or make it less serious. Valor means having the mental or spiritual strength to face danger with courage and determination.

The Award of Valor is not given out every year. It is only presented when someone's heroic actions from the past year truly stand out. The winners are honored at a special ceremony during the NCAA's yearly meeting.

Who Can Receive the Award?

To be considered for the Award of Valor, a person must be connected to college sports. This includes:

Current coaches or administrators in college athletics.
Current or former athletes who earned a varsity letter (a special award for playing on a top-level school team) at an NCAA school.

Sometimes, members of the military or police can receive the award for actions they took while on duty. This happens only if what they did was far beyond what their job normally requires.

Inspiring Stories of Award Winners

Here are some of the incredible people who have received the NCAA Award of Valor and the brave things they did.

1974 – Charles G. "Lefty" Driesell: He was the men's basketball coach at the University of Maryland. When a fire broke out and destroyed several homes, he ran into a burning building to rescue children who were trapped inside.
1982 – Timothy J. McCarthy: A former football player for the University of Illinois, McCarthy became a United States Secret Service agent. On March 30, 1981, he was protecting President Ronald Reagan when someone tried to harm the president. McCarthy bravely jumped in front of President Reagan and was shot, saving the president's life. He was seriously hurt but made a full recovery.
1984 – Joseph A. Delaney: Delaney was a star football and track athlete at Northwestern State University and a rising star for the Kansas City Chiefs. He tragically died while trying to save three children from drowning.
2004 – Jimmy Baxter: An athlete from the University of South Florida, Baxter saved two men who were trapped in their car after a serious crash.
2008 – Emily Perez: Perez was a 2005 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy. She was a leader in the U.S. Army serving in Iraq. She passed away when an explosive device went off near her vehicle. Her unit remembered her for her amazing leadership.
2008 – Douglas A. Zembiec: A 1995 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Zembiec was a major in the U.S. Marines. He was known for his heroism in many situations before he passed away while serving in Iraq.
2010 – Roxana Saberi: Saberi was a journalist who was unfairly held in Iran after being accused of spying. She insisted she was innocent and was eventually freed and returned to the United States. She is a graduate of Concordia College, Northwestern University, and King's College, Cambridge University.
2013 – Kirk Rohle: A student at Hampden-Sydney College, Rohle saved his friend from a house fire. He ran back into the burning house to find his friend, who had luckily already escaped. Rohle was badly burned but showed incredible courage.
2014 – Cameron Lyle: An athlete at the University of New Hampshire, Lyle gave up his chance to compete in a championship track meet. Instead, he donated bone marrow to a stranger who was sick with leukemia, saving their life.
2015 – John Servati: A student at the University of Alabama, Servati gave his own life to save his girlfriend during a powerful tornado that hit Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
2017 – Florent Groberg: A graduate of the University of Maryland, Groberg was serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. He bravely stopped a person who was planning to set off a bomb, saving the lives of 24 people.
2018 – Crystal Griner: A graduate of Hood College, Griner was a U.S. Capitol Police officer. She was protecting a group of lawmakers at a baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, when a gunman opened fire. She was shot in the ankle but helped stop the attack.
2021 – Jaimire Dutrieuille: An athlete from Slippery Rock University, Dutrieuille used his body to shield a 9-year-old girl from stray bullets during a shooting. He was shot three times but survived.
2025 – Ashley Harkins: A graduate of Saint Michael's College and a Connecticut state trooper, Harkins risked her own life to save a woman from falling 100 feet off a bridge.

NCAA Award of Valor facts for kids

Who Can Receive the Award?

Inspiring Stories of Award Winners

See also