Student-athlete wins Rudy Award

University of Akron junior student-athlete LeVon Morefield received the third-annual Rudy College Football Award Monday in Orlando. With Morefield is award namesake Daniel 'Rudy' Ruettiger and Morefield's foster mother, Karen Armstrong.

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UA junior LeVon Morefield has been named the winner of the 2009 College Football Rudy Award and he was presented the trophy by namesake Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger in a ceremony held Monday in Orlando.

“This award represents so much to me,” Morefield said. “In short, it is the payoff to a decision I made to turn my life around and to be a role model for others. Words really do not express the feelings and emotions I have right now.

“I obviously want to thank the Foundation and Rudy (Ruettiger) as well as congratulate the other finalists and all who were nominated. I am proud to represent them all by winning this award. I want to give special thanks to the Akron coaching staff, coach (J.D.) Brookhart in particular, (football academic coordinator) Chuck Lewis and the whole athletics staff for their support. I also would like to send a special thanks to all my teammates. Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank (foster mom) Karen Armstrong for believing in me, taking a chance on me and guiding me.

“The award ceremony and being a finalist did not really hit me at first. Then I began to see all the coaches from around the country and I woke up this morning with the same feeling you get on game day. I was very excited and was blown away getting to meet Rudy and hear him speak. Win or lose, I was just glad to be a part of this. It has been a great experience.”

The finalists were honored at the College Football Rudy Awards breakfast, presented by Sprint, during the American Football Coaches Association Convention at the Orlando World Center Marriott. In addition to the bronze Rudy Award trophy, a scholarship grant was made in Morefield’s name to The University of Akron general scholarship fund. The other two finalists, Brian Coulter of the University of Missouri and O'Darris D'Haiti of Florida International University, were on hand for the ceremony. Runners-up grants were made in their names to their respective schools.

Honoring character, courage, contribution and commitment

"We established this award as a special way to honor and recognize college football players for the size of their hearts instead of the enormity of their stats," Ruettiger said. "LeVon Morefield is a special young man who personifies the spirit of this award. He has overcome tremendous odds and never let life's challenges keep him from achieving his dreams. He is a great example of the values of character, courage, contribution and commitment."

The Rudy Awards honor student-athletes who demonstrate exemplary character, courage, contribution and commitment as members of their teams, on and off the field. These same traits were immortalized in the film “Rudy,” enabling Ruettiger to carve his name into college football lore.

Morefield's amazing story began by being born one month premature and addicted to crack cocaine as a result of his mother's drug use. Both of his biological parents were crack addicts. Morefield and his older brother, Cliff, never lived in a stable home. They constantly were moved around to live with relatives and friends. Morefield easily could have become a product of his environment, as his brother Cliff did, who now is serving a life sentence in prison. But instead, he took the negatives of his life and turned them into positive energy toward his goal of playing Division I college football.

Willingness to help where needed

Morefield has played running back, linebacker and safety in practice during his career, moving at his coaches’ requests in order to help the team. After being redshirted and only being a practice squad member in his first two seasons, he made the travel squad in 2008 but did not see game action. In 2009 he battled his way onto the field. He ran the ball twice in the Zips’ win over Morgan State in the inaugural game played at UA’s new on-campus facility, InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field. He additionally served on special teams. Through his hard work, consistency and perseverance as a non-scholarship player, Morefield managed to do all this while working close to 70 hours a week, at three different jobs, to pay for his school.

Morefield emerged as the 2009 Rudy Award winner among stiff competition. Forty-nine of the 120 Division I FBS football programs and all Division I FBS Conferences were represented in the Rudy Awards nominations, with more than 60,000 fans contributed online votes this year.

The 2009 Award Selection Committee included football coaches

• Barry Alvarez,
• David Bailiff,
• Gary Barnett,
• Fisher DeBerry,
• Dennis Franchione,
• June Jones,
• Chuck Knox,
• Gary Patterson,
• Buddy Pough,
• Jackie Sherrill and
• Dick Tomey

Other judges were:

• Washington Redskins quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams and
• Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson.

Businessman Peter Murphy Jr. again served as chairman.

The College Football Rudy Awards were launched in 2007. The inaugural award was presented to Terry Clayton of the University of Kentucky with Drew Combs, a kickoff specialist for Texas Christian University, winning last year.