HomeNews USC's Mike Garrett Receives Tradition of Excellence Award
USC's Mike Garrett Receives Tradition of Excellence Award
Award co-presented by World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame
World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame
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BOISE, Idaho – USC athletic director and 1965 Heisman Trophy winner Mike Garrett has been named the 2008 recipient of the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame’s Tradition of Excellence Award.
Co-presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust, the Tradition of Excellence Award recognizes Heisman winners who bring honor and distinction to the Heisman Memorial Trophy through their professional achievements.
Garrett, 64, will be presented with the award Saturday, Nov. 1 at the Washington vs. USC football game in Los Angeles by World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame president Larry Maneely and Heisman trustee James Corcoran. Garrett is the 12th recipient of the award and the first from the University of Southern California.
“After a stellar career at Southern Cal, Mike Garrett has gone on to champion the ideals of the Heisman Memorial Trophy in his professional life,” said Heisman trustee James Corcoran. “His professional accomplishments are remarkable. Mike Garrett is a role model to college football players and fans around the country.”
“The World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame is honored to present Mike Garrett with the Tradition of Excellence Award,” said World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame president Larry Maneely. “Mike sets the bar high for professional achievement and character in athletics and life.”
Following his 1965 Heisman season at USC and eight NFL seasons in Kansas City and San Diego, Garrett brought a professional background in business, law, government, community affairs and athletics administration to his alma mater, where he was hired in 1990 as its associate athletic director. In 1993, he was named the school’s sixth athletic director, becoming just the seventh African-American athletic director at a major Division I-A institution.
At USC, Garrett now oversees 19 women’s and men’s teams and an annual budget of $72 million. During his tenure, the school has captured 18 national titles in 10 different sports and 44 conference titles. And his coaches have excelled, winning National Coach of the Year honors 13 times and Conference Coach of the Year honors 32 times.
Under Garrett’s watch, NCAA graduation rates for USC student-athletes reached an all-time high of 71 percent in 1996 and have since averaged near or above the national rate. Garrett has also been a champion of gender equity at Southern Cal, adding two new women’s teams, elevating a third from club to intercollegiate status and adding 42 new women’s scholarships for Trojan student-athletes.
As a fundraiser, Garrett’s efforts at USC are unmatched. In 2006-07, contributions under his direction reached a record $75 million and corporate sponsorships, merchandising and licensing reached a record $10 million, enabling one of the biggest building programs in the history of USC athletics, adding and upgrading nine athletic facilities.
The 1967 USC graduate and 1986 Western State University College of Law graduate has a long history of community service. As a student at Southern Cal, Garrett helped found the Cool Head Program, working with area youth groups. He has also volunteered at the McLaren Children's Center in Los Angeles and in San Diego, he worked in the district attorney's office as a youth counselor. In 1989, he established the East Los Angeles Youth Activities Foundation.
For his professional and community work, the College Football Hall of Fame member has received numerous awards including recognition in 2003 as one of “Southern California’s 25 Most Influential Executives in Sports” by the Los Angeles Business Journal and one of the nation’s “101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports” by Sports Illustrated. In 2005, he was named one of the “50 Most Powerful African Americans in Sports” by Black Enterprise magazine.
About The World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame
The World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame (www.SportsHumanitarian.com), located on the Boise State University campus in Idaho, recognizes individuals and organizations from the world of amateur and professional athletics who, through their humanitarian efforts, distinguish themselves as role models in the community. Over 40 sports-humanitarians have been enshrined in Boise including tennis great Arthur Ashe, Major League Baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson, NFL coaching legend Tom Landry, the NBA's David Robinson, soccer great Pelé and the Harlem Globetrotters.
The Hall was the inspiration behind Boise’s Humanitarian Bowl and its Humanitarian Awards program annually recognizes exceptional community-focused organizations and leaders from Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, NCAA College Football and other organizations. The World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is open weekdays to visitors and humanitarians of all ages.
Tradition of Excellence Award Recipients 2008 Mike Garrett – University of Southern California (1965) 2007 Charlie Ward - Florida State University (1993) 2005 Danny Wuerffel - University of Florida (1996) 2004 Steve Owens - University of Oklahoma (1969) 2003 John Lattner - Notre Dame (1953) 2002 U.S. Service Academy Winners; Roger Staubach (Navy - 1963), Joe Bellino (Navy - 1960), Pete Dawkins (Army - 1958), Glenn Davis (Army - 1946), Felix 'Doc' Blanchard (Army - 1945) 2001 Archie Griffin - The Ohio State University (1974, 1975) 2000 Jim Plunkett - Stanford University (1970)
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