WILL SHIELDS FINALIST FOR WOODEN CUP

Jan 08, 2005, 8:24:39 AM

Kansas City Chiefs G Will Shields has been named as a finalist for the inaugural Wooden Cup presented by Athletes for a Better World. An honor that recognizes an athlete’s commitment on the field and in their community, the Wooden Cup is named after legendary UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden.

Shields is no stranger to accolades, be it professional or philanthropic in nature. The reining Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, Shields is a 10-time Pro Bowler who started all but his initial game in the NFL (a string of 191 consecutive contests). Additionally, he has been recognized as the NFL’s Top Good Guy (The Sporting News - 2001) and The Humanitarian of the Year (Arthur S. Arkush Award by Pro Football Weekly – 1999) among others. Since the inception of his Will to Succeed Foundation in 1993, Will and his wife Senia have assisted some 97,781individuals.

“As one who knows John Wooden personally, and coached at UCLA when he was there, I believe Will Shields would be an outstanding choice for the Wooden Cup,” Chiefs President Carl Peterson noted, “I have had the distinct pleasure to witness first-hand Will and his wife, Senia’s involvement in the Kansas City community. Simply put, he has done everything the right way.”

“Will Shields’ personal attributes far exceed his 10 Pro Bowls,” Chiefs Head Coach Dick Vermeil added. “Having had the opportunity to work right along side of Coach Wooden while coaching at UCLA, I know that Will could, and most likely would, have captained any one of his National Championship teams. Since I started coaching in the NFL in 1969, I have never coached a man with Will’s self-discipline, daily work habits and genuine concern for his teammates and people in our community.”

The Wooden Cup is presented to two distinguished athletes – one intercollegiate and one professional – that best display character, teamwork, and citizenship, the attributes Athletes for a Better World deems central to transforming individuals, sport, and society.

The Wooden Cup, designed by the nationally renowned Seattle Glassblowing Studio, establishes the recipients as athletes of excellence both on and off the field, role models both as performers and persons – the most important and distinctive honor athletes can achieve.

In order to be nominated for The Wooden Cup, the athlete must:

• Train with a disciplined, consistent work ethic
• Demonstrate fair play and sportsmanship
• Develop positive supportive relationships with teammates and coaches
• Win or lose with grace and dignity
• Contribute to society through the gifts of time or money

The three athletes with the highest point totals in each of the two categories will be presented at the awards ceremony. The individual with the most points in each of the two categories is awarded the Wooden Cup. The award will be presented at the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel in California on Monday, January 10, 2005.

The other finalists for the Wooden Cup in the category of “Olympic and Professional Athletes” include: Ray Allen (Seattle Supersonics of the NBA), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm of the WNBA), Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs of the NBA), Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts of the NFL), and Dawn Staley (Charlotte Sting of the WNBA).

Athletes for a Better World (ABW) was founded by Mr. Fred Northup in June of 1998. The organization arose out of a need for positive mentoring of young people in sport. As a result, ABW staff and members have been working to create a sport environment where athletes, coaches, fans, and parents provide leadership that makes an identifiable and measurable difference in society.

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