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Former Commodores Chavous, Winborn Honored for Sportsmanship, Courage by NFL Teammates 12/10/2004
Former Commodores Chavous, Winborn Honored for Sportsmanship, Courage by NFL Teammates 12-10-04 Two former Commodores making a name for themselves in the National Football League, safety Corey Chavous of the Minnesota Vikings and linebacker Jamie Winborn of the San Francisco 49ers, have been selected recently as recipients of the prestigious Ed Block Courage Award. Both Chavous and Winborn were chosen by their teammates for the award. They will honored at a banquet for the NFL Courage Award winner during festivities following the season in Baltimore, Md. Players from each of the NFL’s 32 teams select an honoree for the award. Other former Vanderbilt student-athletes could join Chavous and Winborn as Ed Block Award recipients from their respective squads. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons, both of which feature community-minded and talented former Commodores, will select their Block Award representatives in the coming weeks. Chavous, one of the NFL’s most respected and knowledgeable veterans, has become one of the Vikings’ top players in just his third season with the team. An All-Pro pick last year and two-time Pro Bowler for the Vikings, Chavous ranks among the NFL leaders in interceptions since moving to safety when he joined the Vikings. Off the field, the native of Aiken, S.C. is extremely involved in the community. He is the Vikings’ team spokesman for the Ronald McDonald House and Kids Voting Minnesota campaign. During the holiday season, he also participates in quarterback Daunte Culpepper’s African American Adoption Agency Holiday Party. Winborn, selected in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft, has developed into a leader on and off the field for the 49ers. Off the field, community service in the Bay Area has become a priority for the native of Wetumpka, Ala. On the field, Winborn has overcome a career-threatening neck injury suffered last season to enjoy his finest campaign with the squad. Winborn, who ranks among the team leaders in tackles and sacks, entered the season uncertain of his playing status after his 2003 campaign was cut short due to the frightening neck injury and eventual surgery. After sustaining the injury in practice, Winborn underwent surgery last December to microscopically remove a disc and fuse the C5 and C6 vertebrae together. Winborn returned to the team only after completing six months of rehabilitation. “It means a lot to me that my teammates voted on it,” Winborn told the Bay Area media. “To know they respect what I’ve done to get to this point means a lot to me.” The Ed Block Courage Award has become one of the most prestigious awards an NFL player can receive because no other national football award is chosen solely by a vote of his peers. The Ed Block Courage Award is named after Ed Block, the former head athletic trainer of the Baltimore Colts for 23 years. Block was a pioneer in his profession and a respected humanitarian whose most passionate cause was helping children of abuse. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation’s Courage House National Support Network. Named after the NFL team in a respective NFL city, a Courage House is a facility that provides support and quality care for abused children and their families in that community. |
