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Former Brown football captain Will Burroughs '05 learned that he had been awarded the NCAA's National Sportsmanship Award while scanning the Brown athletics Web site on his lunch break.
The two-time All-Ivy offensive lineman, now working with Teach for America in Phoenix, got official word from the athletics department several days later.
The award is given to those that "exemplify good sportsmanship with the highest level of respect, fairness, civility, honesty, integrity and responsibility during competition," according to brownbears.com. The honor came as no surprise to his former coach.
"Will is just one of those one in a million guys that can excel academically, athletically and socially," said Brown football Head Coach Phil Estes. "Any time that you take an Ivy League athlete, with the time they have to put into their sport along with their academics, if you look at the things Will did with community service, it's a great accomplishment."
On the field, Burroughs was a three-year starter on the offensive line and garnered first-team All-Ivy honors his junior and senior seasons, paving the way for one of the Ancient Eight's most prolific running attacks.
But Burroughs expended just as much energy off the field, serving as president of Brown's Student Athlete Advisory Committee for two years and as a Meiklejohn advisor. He also did extensive volunteer work throughout Rhode Island, volunteering at both the Rhode Island Special Olympics and the Woonsocket Youth Football League.
Most notably, Burroughs helped raise over $2,000 toward cancer research as a leader in creating the "Never Quit" Foundation in honor of teammate Lawrence Rubida '05. Rubida died in January after a battle with Ewing's Sarcoma, a form of bone marrow cancer.
But it was his work at the Fox Point School that led Burroughs to join Teach for America in his native Arizona after graduation.
"In terms of the Meiklejohn program and hanging out with students at Fox Point, it (was) a blast," Burroughs said. "I really like hanging out with the younger kids, talking about my experience. Teaching is a really hard job, but every day when my class will make me laugh it makes it all worthwhile."
Perhaps Burroughs' most enduring quality was the enthusiasm he drummed up within the Brown athletic community, encouraging Brown athletes to step up and become the face of the University.
"He was always an advocate of giving back to the community," Estes said. "Will was always the guy who let all the football players know that they were going to Fox Point the next day. He stimulated others to give back and get involved."
Both Estes and Burroughs agree that this award brings positive exposure to the athletic program.
"It shows that if you put your mind to it you can excel in more than just one area and really expand your horizons," Estes said.
"It goes to show that not all football players at Brown are 'stereotypical jocks,' " Burroughs said. "We try to do the best we can to help out the community."
