Temple University Athletics
DAWN STALEY TO RECEIVE 2005 WANAMAKER AWARD
5.23.05 | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia native Dawn Staley, WNBA star, Temple coach and three-time Olympic gold medalist, has been named the 2005 winner of the John Wanamaker Athletic Award. Staley also won the Wanamaker in 1997, sharing the honor with fellow Olympic gold medalists David Reid (boxing) and Michael Matz (equestrian). She is the only individual woman to ever win the award (the Villanova Women's Basketball Team was honored in 2003). She joins Joe Frazier ('68, '71) and Steve Carlton ('73, '83) as the only two-time individual winners of the award.
Since 1961, the award has been presented to the "athlete, team or organization that has done the most to reflect credit upon Philadelphia and to the team or sport in which they excel." The Philadelphia Sports Congress, a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, presents the award each year in conjunction with IPC/Amerimar Management Company.
As the Temple Women's Basketball head coach, Staley led the 2004-05 Owls to a 28-4 record and a #15 national ranking (their highest ever), compiling a 25-game winning streak along the way. The team earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament's second round, equaling the best finish in school history. She was voted the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year for the second straight year, and Big 5 Coach of the Year for the third time in five seasons.
Staley was also point guard and team captain for the gold-medal winning 2004 U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball Team. The former Philadelphia Dobbins Tech high school star was chosen by fellow team members to serve as flag bearer for the U.S. delegation at the Opening Ceremonies in Athens. She also won Olympic gold in 1996 and 2000. Staley was honored as the 2004 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year, and was recently named as one of two athlete representatives on the 10-person USA Basketball Executive Committee. She also continues to star for the Charlotte Sting of the WNBA.
"Dawn's accomplishments over the past year are truly extraordinary," said Philadelphia Sports Congress Chairman Robert P. Levy. "Realistically, she could have been selected based solely on her accomplishments at either Temple or the Olympics last summer, but when viewed together, it became a fairly easy decision for the committee."
Through it all, Staley has continued to give back to the North Central Philadelphia neighborhood she grew up in and to the overall Philadelphia community. Through the Dawn Staley Foundation, inner-city children in Philadelphia can participate in the Dawn Staley After Dark Project, Dawn Staley Basketball Clinics and the Dawn Staley Day in the Park. Hundreds of young men and women have participated in Staley's programs, which seek to create a future of hope for at-risk youth, and provide opportunities to help them realize their dreams and become productive and responsible citizens.
Staley and World B. Free, the Ambassador of Basketball for the 76ers, will be honored at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, June 29 at The Wanamaker Building's Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia. Free is set to receive the Philadelphia Sports Congress Community Service Award, presented to the "individual, business or organization that has done the most to contribute to the quality of life in Philadelphia through sports."
