PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley University has changed the name of the most prestigious honor the institution annually awards to a student-athlete to the Charles Orsborn Award and the legendary Bradley Athletics figure will be on hand to present the award to one of three finalists during the Bradley Athletics Awards Ceremony Tuesday night at the Michel Student Center. The evening's festivities will begin with the hour-long Senior Send-Off program, which will begin at 6 o'clock and immediately will be followed by the Athletics Awards Ceremony.
Formerly known as the Watonga Award since its inception in 1951, the Charles Orsborn Award is the highest honor Bradley University bestows upon a graduating senior student-athlete and recognizes the ability of the winner to combine athletic and academic success with community service. The 2009 Charles Orsborn Award finalists include women's golfer Bari Erais (Lethbridge, Alberta/Lethbridge Collegiate Institute), baseball player Grant Escue (Washington, Ill./Washingon H.S.) and women's basketball player Skye Johnson (Olympia Fields, Ill./Marian Catholic H.S.).
“It is long overdue to have Coach Orsborn's name and legendary BU career attached to one of our Athletics awards” said Bradley Director of Athletics Ken Kavanagh. “In turn, it is truly an honor and a privilege to announce that from this day forward, this fine gentleman and friend to so many of us will be rightfully connected to the most prestigious honor that we bestow upon a graduating Brave.”
A letterwinner in four sports as a student-athlete (baseball, basketball, football and track and field), Orsborn helped put Bradley Athletics on the national map as a member of the Famous Five men's basketball teams that played in the first two National Invitation Tournaments in 1938 and 1939 and earned an invitation to the inaugural NCAA Tournament in 1939. Signed by baseball's New York Yankees after graduation, he spent one year in the minor leagues before he was drafted into the military in 1941 during World War II. Entering as a private, he eventually served five full years in the service, retiring with his years in the Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force.
Orsborn returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach for the Bradley Basketball program from 1947-56, a run that included NCAA Tournament runner-up finishes in 1950 and 1954. He took over as the program's head coach from 1956-65, a nine-year run that produced a 194-56 (.776) record and three NIT championships (1957, 1960 and 1964). He earned his first 100 victories in just 120 games, which is still tied for sixth in NCAA Division I history for the fewest number of games required to achieve 100 wins. Inducted into both the NIT and Missouri Valley Conference Halls of Fame, Orsborn was selected the Bradley Basketball Coach of the Century during the program's 100-year celebration earlier this decade. Following his coaching career, he served as the school's Director of Athletics from 1965-78. He now resides in Naples, Fla.
Erais is one of the most-accomplished players in Bradley women's golf history. A three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference performer in his first three years on The Hiltop, Erais ended her career last week as the program's all-time leader in rounds played (108), stroke average (77.7) top-10 finishes (21) and rounds in the 70's (73). A two-time Valley Scholar-Athlete, she also copped ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District V honors last spring and entered her final semester with a 3.88 cumulative grade point average as an accounting major.
Escue is one of 10 national finalists for the third annual Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in baseball, which recognizes similar attributes as the Charles Orsborn Award. Escue, who started his career at Stanford University before transferring to Bradley in 2007, boasts a .302 career batting average and a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average as a political science major. The team's co-leader with four home runs so far this spring, Escue was an honorable mention All-Missouri Valley Conference pick at first base in his first season as a Brave last year, while also garnering first-team Valley Scholar-Athlete accolades.
Following a season away from basketball due to pain in her knees, Johnson returned to the hardwood in 2007-08 and won the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year Award after leading the league with 82 steals. The 5-foot-7 point guard was the catalyst for winningest season in program history last winter, leading the Braves to a program-best 21 wins despite playing their home games off campus, primarily at Illinois Central College's Lorene Ramsey Gymnasium. Johnson earned honorable mention All-MVC notice in 2009, while landing on The Valley's All-Defense team for a second straight year. In the classroom, Johnson boasts a 3.32 cumulative GPA as a physical therapy major.
In addition to the Charles Orsborn Award, the Bradley Athletics Award Ceremony will include the presentation of the Orville Nothdurft Lifetime Achievement Award, the Carl Grose Service Award, the Coach Joe Stowell Awards and the Megan C. Fong Inspiration Award, as well as the announcement of the Alumni B-Club Most Outstanding Athlete candidates.
