Catchings Finalist for Wooden Cup

News Release | December 13, 2005
John Smoltz of the Atlanta Braves, Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles and Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever headline the finalists for the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup given annually by Athletes for a Better World to a professional athlete who best exemplifies outstanding character, teamwork, and citizenship.

At the collegiate level the six finalists for the Cup are Jacqueline Dubois, University of Oklahoma, Erica Grimaldi, Vanderbilt University, David Werry, University of North Carolina, Grey Ballard, Wake Forest University, Jamie Pelusi, University of Pittsburgh, and Jacob Gutierrez, University of Oklahoma.

�We honor the �most valuable person,� the athlete who makes the greatest difference in the lives of others,� said ABW Founder and President Fred Northup.

Hall of Fame Player and Coach John Wooden, the legendary coach of UCLA, who is widely recognized as one of the greatest role models and mentors in the history of sport, gave ABW permission to use his name for this honor. Coach Wooden presented the Cups and spoke at the inaugural event last January in Los Angeles. Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts and William Betz of Brigham Young University were the first cup recipients.

Vince Dooley, former Athletic Director at the University of Georgia, chairs the committee which has been through nearly 100 nominees to arrive at the finalists. These finalists are being voted on by approximately 100 electors throughout the country with the recipient being named on January 24 at a ceremony at the fabled East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. �We are thrilled to be at East Lake, because like ABW, East Lake is committed to using the power of sport to make the world a better place,� Northup said. The East Lake Club, home of the Tour Championship, has used its resources and influence to transform a blighted neighborhood into a thriving community.