1999 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars Awards: They've Got Game And Grades

Black Issues in Higher Education, April 15, 1999 by Ronald Roach

Black Issues has been awarding Sports Scholars Awards since December 1992. In 1994, the award was named after the late tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr. Winners are selected from nominations solicited from all accredited colleges and universities. The criteria are: any student of color who plays intercollegiate sports above the club level; maintains a 3.2 or better cumulative grade point average; and is active on his or her campus or community. One woman and one man, who best exemplify the standards of scholarship, athleticism, and humanitarianism set by Arthur Ashe Jr., are selected as Sports Scholars of the Year. The other honorees are listed alphabetically within teams

Getting a Kick Out of Academics and Athletics

Shannon Brown Senior University of Wisconsin Cumulative GPA 3.979 Majors: Spanish and Journalism Sport: Division I Soccer

For the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Shannon Brown, excelling both in the classroom and on the soccer field is a way of life.

Last fall, her dominating defensive play on the soccer field earned her honors as a second-team All American. Brown matched her stellar season on the soccer field, by earning a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in the same semester, bringing her cumulative GPA to 3.979. She is double majoring in journalism and Spanish.

By earning second team All-American honors, Brown could hardly have had a more fitting tribute to cap her career as a college soccer player. The fifth-year senior, who is a native of Madison, is the 13th player in 18 years of women's soccer at the University of Wisconsin to earn All-American status.

In addition to All-American honors, Brown's academic prowess won her selection to the 1998 National Soccer Coaches Association of America's Academic All-American first team. The honor marked the fourth time she landed on the Big 10's academic team.

According to those who've worked with her on and off the field, it is no coincidence that Brown's best soccer season would coincide with her compiling a perfect grade-point average. Her success, they say, is the product of pure dedication and a lot of hard work.

"[Brown's] very diligent and well organized," says Shawn Peters, the UW undergraduate academic adviser in journalism. "She is a creative person, but also demonstrates a lot of discipline as a student. "Journalism IS a very demanding major. Because of the demands, we have very few students who are student-athletes," he adds.

A Dominating Player

On the soccer field Brown is known for her aggressive play.

"She always showed tenacity around the ball," says Dean Duerst, coach of the Wisconsin women's soccer team. "Because of her athleticism, she shows up all the time. She gets to the ball. That's what made her an All American."

Duerst says Brown's playing represented one of the bright spots for the team. He credits her for showing improvement in her game, which culminated in her having her best year this past season.

"This year, she improved her skills at passing and with intelligent play," he says. "She led the team through her play," Duerst adds.

Last season, the team -- known as the Badgers -- compiled a record of 11-8-2. In Big 10 conference play, the team went 6-2.

Wisconsin went to the NCAA playoffs and lost in the second round. The team ended the year ranked 26th in the nation. Brown is quick to credit her teammates for making it possible for her to have gotten consideration for All-American honors.

"The team's success got me here," she says.

Duerst, who is in his fifth year as coach of the women's soccer team at Wisconsin, says he learned of Brown's reputation as a soccer player early during her high school years in Madison. He recognized that her aggressive style of play and sprinter's speed would make her a strong candidate to excel in the Big 10.

"The style of play in the Big 10 conference favors the aggressive player," he says.

Brown's decision to attend Wisconsin represented a recruiting coup for Duerst. Initially, Brown had wanted to attend an East Coast school -- Duke University and the University of Virginia among her favorites.

"I wanted to go to a school where I felt comfortable and that had a good academic reputation," Brown says, adding that winning a soccer scholarship wasn't the highest priority for her. "It was always school first," she adds.

A knee injury forced Brown to sit out her freshman year of soccer eligibility. Having had surgery just prior to enrolling at Wisconsin, it took Brown more than eight months to recover.

"It was hard because I really wanted to come in and make a contribution to the team. [Sitting out that year] gave me the desire to come back strong," she says.

Brown bounced back her sophomore year, and steadily improved throughout her career, according to Duerst.

"She had a tough time red-shirting her freshman year," Duerst says. "In her sophomore and junior years [though], she really started to develop her game."

Future Lies Ahead

Although the possibility of Olympic team tryouts and the potential formation of a women's pro soccer league loom ahead, Brown is ready to retire from soccer -- a sport she has played since she was four years old. She would consider post-graduate soccer playing opportunities, but adds that she is eager to start a career.