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ROCHESTER, Minn. - (The following media release is courtesy of the Fiesta Bowl and the Mayo Clinic.) The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), in association with The Associated Press (AP) and the Fiesta Bowl Organization, have selected three college football student-athletes-Jake Luton of Oregon State University, Drew Wilson of Georgia Southern University and Octavion Wilson of Salisbury University-as the winners of the 2019 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award. The three student-athletes, who are being recognized for overcoming injury or illness, will be honored during an on-field ceremony at the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on December 28, 2019.
Drew Wilson was selected in a vote of AP College Football Poll Voters while Octavion Wilson was chosen by a vote of the CoSIDA small-college advisory board. Luton, along with six student-athletes named Honorable Mention, was selected by a vote of AP, CoSIDA, the Fiesta Bowl organization and the editors of Touchdown Illustrated, college football’s gameday publication.
A total of $30,000 will be donated in the names of the honorees to their school’s general scholarship fund, with $15,000 being awarded in the names of the three winners and $15,000 on behalf of the six named honorable mention: Shaun Crawford (DB, University of Notre Dame); Alex Martinez (QB, Saint Xavier University); Josh Paschal (DL, University of Kentucky); Hunter Spriggs (OL, Chapman University); Isaiah Weston (WR, University of Northern Iowa); and Antoine Winfield Jr. (DB, University of Minnesota).
“We commend Jake, Drew, Octavion and all of the inspiring student-athletes we recognized this season for sharing their personal stories of overcoming adversity to help fans better appreciate the roads these young men have traveled,” says Doug Vance, executive director of CoSIDA. “We hope these stories of achievement can inspire other people to meet the challenges in their own lives.”
“We understand how challenging it can be for student-athletes to return from injury or illness,” says Dr. Michael Stuart, co-director, Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine. “The 30 student-athletes we recognized this year are representative of the motivation, determination and perseverance that student-athletes all across America demonstrate on a daily basis.”
Here’s a look at the 2019 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award Honorable Mention winner, Shaun Crawford:
Shaun Crawford, a defensive back for the University of Notre Dame, had his season cut short due to injuries that required surgery for three of the past four seasons-a pair of torn ACLs and an Achilles injury. Through the first four games this year, he was once again a vital contributor for the Irish defensive backfield before suffering a dislocated elbow on Sept. 29 versus Virginia. Initially thought to be season-ending, remarkably the Lakewood, Ohio, native missed just two games before returning on Nov. 2 versus Virginia Tech.
About Mayo Clinic: Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit comprehensive organization committed to clinical practice, education and research, providing expert comprehensive care to everyone who needs healing.Learn more about Mayo Clinic. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network.
About CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America): CoSIDA was founded in 1957 and is a 3,000+ member national organization comprised of the sports public relations, media relations and communications/information professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. The organization is the second oldest management association in intercollegiate athletics. To learn more, visit cosida.com.