Sportswoman of the Year

That’s what made Sunday so special for the Detroit Shock’s Swin Cash. She was honored as Sportswoman of the Year at the 71st annual Dapper Dan Dinner and Sports Auction, one of the premier social and charity giving events in Cash’s hometown of Pittsburgh.

Cash, who grew up and played high school ball in McKeesport, 15 miles southeast of the Steel City, expressed gratitude when she accepted the award in front of more than 1,000 guests at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Cash thanked the fans that had not lost track of her as she moved on to a college career at the University of Connecticut and then Detroit in 2002. Cash said she continues to receive emails from fans in Western Pennsylvania and stays in touch with the area through her charity work.

“It meant a lot to me because you know as a player in professional sports, if you don’t play in that city, it’s really hard for people to stay up on what’s happening with you,” Cash said at Detroit Shock media day Monday. “The city of Pittsburgh, McKeesport, where I grew up, they’ve been behind me 110 percent and to be up on that podium with Mr. Rooney and also Sidney Crosby, it was an honor for me. Everyday the things I do in Detroit representing young women, it’s great to see it being awarded in Pittsburgh as well.”

Cash shared the stage with Dan Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award, and Crosby, the young Pittsburgh Penguins star, who was named Sportsman of the Year. Crosby led the Penguins to a surprising appearance in the NHL playoffs that conflicted with the original date of the Dapper Dan Dinner.

“The event was supposed to be last Sunday but Crosby and the Penguins were having a playoff game so it’s kind of miraculous they can just take an event with thousands of people and move it to the following Sunday and everyone still show up and still have the same outcome,” Cash said. “I think that goes to show you what this event means and how long it’s been one of the biggest fundraiser charity events in Pittsburgh.”

The Dapper Dan Dinner has been around since 1936, becoming one of the largest sports entertainment charity events of its kind. In the 1990s, the dinner began to recognize a Sportswoman of the Year and designated the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania as its primary beneficiary, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Web site. Cash, a former Boys & Girls Club member, was touched to be a part of an event helping an organization she knew so well.

“Thousands of people, thousands of people coming out and showing their support,” Cash said. “They paid a lot of money to be there and to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club, which I was a part of, so it meant a lot to me.”

To read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s story on the Dapper Dan Dinner, click here.