ORLANDO, Fla. - Bradley senior men's basketball player Dodie Dunson (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington H.S.) is one of four national finalists for the Courageous Student-Athlete Award, presented annually since 1991 by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports.
Wednesday's announcement makes Dunson a finalist for two national awards: he also is one of 10 national finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in men's basketball, which will be announced April 1 during the Friday practice sessions at the Final Four in Houston. The Courageous Student-Athlete Award also will be announced next month.
The NCAS annually presents six awards as part of its Giant Steps Awards program, which recognizes individual student-athletes, professional athletes, athletics administrators, civic leaders, coaches, parents, organizations and other individuals who exemplify the ideals of balancing academics, athletics, life pursuits and giving back to the community through the spirit of athletics. Winners will be honored at the NCAS Annual Giant Steps Awards Ceremony and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Orlando.
The Courageous Student-Athlete Award recognizes student-athletes who have overcome some type of obstacle or challenge without hindering their achievement in athletics and academics, their pursuit of life goals, as well as commitment to the community. In addition, they should have used their life experience as a way to encourage those in the community (i.e. youth) to work hard, accept challenges and use their experiences as a way to make themselves stronger.
Dunson's story of overcoming a severe form of dyslexia to excel in the classroom at Bradley is well-documented. A social work major scheduled to graduate in May, Dunson boasts a 3.67 grade point average and has earned a spot on the Bradley Athletic Director's Honor Roll in each of his last five semesters, twice with a perfect 4.0 effort. He was voted to the 2011 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete first team and he earned a spot on the 2010 NABC Honors Court. Dunson also has been nominated for the I-AAA Athletic Director's Association Scholar-Athlete Team.
A three-time team captain at Bradley, Dunson battled back from a pair of broken bones in his left arm two games into the 2009-10 season to average 10.5 points per game as a fifth-year senior in 2010-11 and he finished his Bradley career with 692 points in 68 career games (10.2 ppg) for the Braves.
