April 1, 2002
(Kansas City, MO) - Two college basketball seniors who have led their respective teams to the NCAA Final Four have been selected as winners of the first annual Senior CLASS Award. Maryland's Juan Dixon is the recipient for men's basketball and Connecticut's Sue Bird for women's basketball, becoming the first ever recipients of this new award presented by the Kansas City Club to the outstanding senior NCAA Division I basketball player.
The announcement of the men's winner was made today by CBS sportscaster Dick Enberg during the network's pre-game show preceding the Semi-Final games of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championships in Atlanta. The women's winner was announced at the NCAA Women's Final Four in San Antonio.
The Senior CLASS Award - an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School - was launched during the 2001-2002 college basketball season in response to the recent trend of college basketball players leaving college early to turn professional.
Dixon and Bird will be presented with trophies at the Senior CLASS Awards Tribute Gala, a black-tie awards dinner in Kansas City. The event, hosted by the Kansas City Club, is scheduled for Saturday, April 20.
National balloting was conducted during the month of March by three separate voting entities - a panel of national media that covers college basketball, Division I college basketball coaches, and nationwide fan balloting. The names of ten Finalists, which were selected from a list of 30 nominees by the media committee, appeared on the ballot.
A points system combined the votes from these groups and determined the national winner. Dixon edged Gonzaga's Dan Dickau and Cincinnati's Steve Logan in the men's balloting. Bird easily out-distanced runners-up Stacey Dales of Oklahoma and Susan Moran of St. Joseph's.
A first-team All-America selection, Dixon heads into the Final Four with a 19.3 scoring average and has led the Terps to a 31-4 record, the ACC regular season title and their second straight Final Four. Along the way, Dixon became Maryland's all-time leading scorer with 2,218 points and was just the second Terp in history to be named to the All-ACC First Team three years in a row. He has become the only player in NCAA history to record 2,000 points, 300 steals and 200 three-point field goals.
Much like her team's 37-0 record leading up to the Final Four, Bird's senior season has been flawless. In leading the Huskies to the Big East title, the 5'9" guard averaged 14.4 points and dished out a team best 6.0 assists while playing just under 30 minutes per game. Bird was named to the All-Big East First Team, her second straight selection, and was a First Team All-American.
The general concept of an award to honor college seniors was instigated by Enberg during the CBS telecast of the 2001 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Game last April. The idea was brought to fruition by the Kansas City Club, a downtown athletic and business club, and Premier Sports Management, a sports marketing and management company. Enberg serves as Honorary Chairman.
"Kansas City has deep roots in the heritage of college basketball and our club is proud to present this new award," said Mark Fountain, Chairman of the Kansas City Club organizing committee. "Juan Dixon and Sue Bird not only had outstanding senior seasons, but they individually represent the attributes related to the CLASS Award. With this award, we hope to return some prestige to being a senior and the achievement of these athletes in completing their collegiate eligibility."
Following last year's college basketball season, over 30 NCAA Division I underclassmen gave up their final year of collegiate eligibility to apply for the NBA draft. That number doesn't include numerous lower-division players, plus six high school athletes that by-passed college and went directly to the professional ranks.
While this trend has become a growing concern among men's basketball in recent years, it is beginning to reach the women's game as well. Last year, for the first time, two female basketball players left college early to play in the WNBA.
"We are grateful to the many people who have worked hard to lay the foundation for this great award for college basketball," said Gary Heise, President and CEO of Premier Sports. "The concept of this award has been met with great enthusiasm and support. The input from the national media committee, the college basketball coaches, the college athletic departments and CBS Sports has been critical to the award's success this first year."
The inaugural Senior CLASS Award will culminate with a first-class, multi-media awards presentation in Kansas City that will feature an entire evening of tributes to college basketball. In addition to the senior-of-the year awards to Dixon and Bird, the event will include a special salute to the NCAA national championship teams for men and women. The gala will be held at the Westin Crown Center Hotel with all event proceeds going to the Greater Kansas City Boys and Girls Club.
The 119-year-old Kansas City Club was formed in 1882 as a business, social and athletic club. The organization has been home to Kansas City's most prominent business executives, including former Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
