PHILADELPHIA-- Dawn Staley, head coach of the Temple women's basketball team, has been selected as one of six finalists for the inaugural John Wooden Trophy to be presented by Athletes for a Better World in Los Angeles on January 10, 2005. The award honors one collegiate and one professional athlete that best displays character, teamwork, and citizenship, the attributes that ABW deems central to transforming individuals, sport and society. Staley is joined by the NBA's Ray Allen and Tim Duncan, the NFL's Peyton Manning and Will Shields and the WNBA's Sue Bird.
A three-time Olympic gold medalist in women's basketball who was selected as the United States flag bearer, Staley is in her fifth season as Temple's head coach. She has led the Owls to the Atlantic 10 Championship and NCAA Tournament in two of the past three seasons and was named the 2004 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year. A three-time WNBA all-star for the Charlotte Sting, Staley is a 1992 graduate of the University of Virginia.
She also heads the Dawn Staley Foundation, which gives middle school children a positive influence in their lives by sponsoring an after-school program, a two-hour focus on academics and athletics at the Hank Gathers Rec. Center, summer basketball leagues and other activities.
The mission of Athletes for a Better World (ABW) is to use sports to develop character, teamwork, and citizenship through commitment to an athletic Code for Living that applies to life, and to create a movement that will play a significant role in the transformation of individuals, sports, and society.
For more information, visit www.abw.org.
