2016 Photo Gallery
Each Fall, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) recognizes an elite group of student-athletes, administrators, institutions and officials at the ECAC Honors Luncheon. The mission of the ECAC Awards Program is to recognize the accomplishments of the Conference's esteemed student-athletes, administrators and others who have represented the ECAC with distinction.
A complete list of ECAC Awards can be found below. If you would like to submit a nomination for any of the ECAC Awards, please fill out an official nomination form here.
ECAC SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
The ECAC Scholar-Athlete Awards honors the outstanding academic and athletic achievements of student-athletes representing ECAC schools in Division I, II and III. One male and one female athlete from each division are selected based on extraordinary achievements in academics, athletics and community service.
Each ECAC member institution may nominate one male and one female candidate. Their names will be placed in the pool of nominees for the Division I, II and III ECAC Scholar-Athlete Awards and recognized at the annual ECAC Fall Convention Honors Dinner.
The following criteria must be followed:
- The candidate must be enrolled at the undergraduate institution at the time of nomination.
- The candidate must have earned a cumulative minimum overall GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale and must have reached sophomore athletics and academic status (true freshmen, redshirt freshmen and ineligible athletics transfers are not eligible).
- The candidate must be a starter or significant reserve in a particular sport and must compete in at least 50 percent of the contests in that sport.
- Other factors such as community service, exemplary citizenship or other extracurricular activities should be noted.
To submit a nomination please click
here.
Past Winners
ADMINISTRATORS OF THE YEAR
The ECAC Male and Female Administrators of the Year are presented annually to administrators from ECAC member schools in recognition of outstanding or meritorious service to the conference.
To submit a nomination please click here. ?
Past Winners
KATHERINE LEY AWARD
The Katherine Ley Award was established in 1983 for the purpose of honoring an eastern women's athletics administrator who exemplifies the values and characteristics displayed by Katherine Ley which include: a strong proponent of women's issues; a creator of programs and opportunities for women in athletics; an idea person; a role model for women coaches and administrators; a person of demonstrated leadership, one who has the ability to make things happen and the ability to work with others; a person with a sense of what the past has to offer and what the future may bring; a person with a sense of humor that makes good times better and bad times easier to bear.
In 1966, Ley was one of the founders of the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, the forerunner of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. After serving a 12-year tenure at the State University College at Cortland as chair of Physical Education and Athletics for Women, Ley became athletics director at Capital University in Ohio. At the time, she was one of only two women athletic administrators heading both men's and women's athletics.
To submit a nomination please click here. ?
Past Winners
GEORGE L. SHIEBLER AWARD
This award is presented annually to an ECAC official who has demonstrated dedication to his vocational activities. This award is named after George L. Shiebler, former ECAC commissioner, in honor of his leadership over the many years he was associated with eastern collegiate athletics.
To submit a nomination please click here. ?
Past Winners
DR. DONALD GROVER MEMORIAL AWARD
In 2005, the family of Dr. Donald Grover established a restricted fund within the ECAC to present an annual award to a practicing athletics trainer and/or team physician.
During his career, Dr. Grover was very involved with Syracuse University athletics and became committed to the value of collegiate athletics and the involvement of the athletic training profession. A committee of athletic trainers has been established to review nominees.
John Davis, Montclair State University, was the recipient of the inaugural award in 2005 and Charles Redmond, Springfield College, in 2006.
The award committee applies the following criteria during its considerations:
- The award may be given to nominees who have rendered such meritorious service to intercollegiate athletics as may seem sufficient to entitle them to this honor.
- For the purposes of defining the position, an eligible candidate must be or has been an athletics trainer at an ECAC member institution.
- Meritorious service is defined as leadership and unusual service over and above the normal duties expected of an athletics trainer, highlighted by the following areas of accomplishment:
- Active participation and leadership in affairs and/or committees of their respective conferences, regional and national athletic training organizations.
- Displayed a cooperative and caring attitude in offering their own professional and personal expertise and assistance to conference programs, services and member institutions.
- Improvement of the athletics program at his or her institution without sacrifice of standards.
- Improvement of relationship between the athletics department and the administration of his or her institution.
To submit a nomination please click
here. ?
Past Winners
JAMES LYNAH DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
In 1957, the Conference created the James Lynah Award in lasting appreciation of the important services rendered to the organization by the man for whom the prize is named. In 1935, Mr. Lynah, a Cornell graduate of the Class of 1905, was called out of retirement - which followed an eminently successful career in industry - to reorganize the athletic administrative program at his alma mater. While occupying the position of Director of Athletics at Cornell, he stimulated and led the movement which on January 1, 1938, established the Central office for Eastern Intercollegiate Athletics, the agency which ten years later became the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Thus, in honoring James Lynah, the ECAC is paying respects and giving thanks to its principle founder.
The James Lynah Distinguished Achievement Award is bestowed annually to a maximum of four former ECAC athletic administrators who have achieved outstanding success in their career and have made an unusual contribution in the interest of intercollegiate athletics, the NCAA and the ECAC. For the purposes of defining the position, an eligible candidate must have been an ECAC director, associate director or assistant director of athletics or senior woman administrator.
Candidates will be accepted following one full year of retirement and once nominated, will be eligible for election for a three-year period.
To submit a nomination please click here. ?
Past Winners
JOSTENS INSTITUTION OF THE YEAR
This award is presented annually to the ECAC institution that best exemplifies the highest standards of collegiate academics and athletic performance.
To submit a nomination please click here. ?
Past Winners
ECAC PRESIDENT'S AWARD
The ECAC President's Award was presented for the first time at the 2008 ECAC Convention and Trade Show. It is presented for meritorious service to the ECAC or an ECAC member institution. The recipient must have demonstrated significant accomplishment in his or her chosen professional field or on the athletic field.
To submit a nomination please click here. ?
Past Winners
AWARD OF VALOR
The ECAC Award of Valor is awarded annually and was established in 1985 to honor Eastern College Athletic Conference student-athletes whose courage, motivation and relentless determination serves as an inspiration to all. The recipients of the Award of Valor exemplify strength of character and perseverance deserving recognition as being truly triumphant.
To submit a nomination please click here. ?
Past Winners
ECAC SCOTTY WHITELAW SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Whitelaw was the ECAC's third commissioner who served the nation's largest, and only multi-divisional, conference from 1972 to 1989. During his 17-year term, Whitelaw guided the ECAC through one of the most significant events in its history as the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (EAIAW) was consolidated into the ECAC. As a result, the ECAC doubled its number of championships and greatly increased its membership with the addition of women's sports.
Debuting in 2011, this sportsmanship award exemplifies positive traits in intercollegiate sports. It honors student-athletes for their virtues such as fairness, integrity, selflessness, respect and a sense of fellowship with opponents. The ECAC embraces perseverance, kindness, community service and overall commitment to sportsmanship exhibited by student-athletes and teams from its member institutions. The ECAC is proud to recognize those individuals, or teams, who are gracious when they are victorious and, equally important, "good sports" when they are defeated.
To submit a nomination please click here. ?
Past Winners
ECAC COMMISSIONER OF THE YEAR AWARD
The ECAC Commissioner of the Year Award is presented to a conference commissioner who has demonstrated significant accomplishment in athletics for his or her primary conference, and for meritorious service to and support of the ECAC.
To submit a nomination please click here. ?
Past Winners