Jackie Dubois Wins Wooden Cup

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma track and field and cross country runner Jackie Dubois was named the recipient of the 2006 Coach Wooden Citizen Cup in ceremonies at the East Lake Country Club in Atlanta, Ga., Tuesday night.

Dubois and OU running back Jacob Gutierrez were two of the six collegiate finalists for the award from the more than 100 nominees. Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz received the award on the professional level.

The Atlanta-based Athletes For A Better World presented the honor. Former Georgia athletics director and head football coach Vince Dooley chaired the selection committee.

"I want to thank my parents who are here because they are always here," said Dubois, who was moved to tears at the podium.

Photo Gallery from Atlanta | Jackie Dubois Bio

"I also want to thank the University of Oklahoma for seeking more than (running) times, for recognizing and inspiring character attributes among its student-athletes."

Dubois, a senior from Lawrence, Kan., who has exhausted her competitive eligibility, said the ceremony was a humbling experience.

"I was just very honored to be chosen from so many deserving people," she said. "It was so humbling to be considered. The whole thing was pretty overwhelming. In the end, I was just proud to be there with the other finalists representing college athletes. That was an honor in itself."

Dubois is literally running for her life, and her approach to that race makes everyone around her better for the experience.

Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth and given a life expectancy of her late teens, Dubois has competed for OU in cross country and track for four years and will graduate in May with a degree in meteorology. Not one to miss an opportunity, she also will complete a double minor in math and communications when the spring semester ends.

“Jackie is one of those student-athletes who come along very rarely in your career,” said C.B. Elder, academic advisor for the Sooner track and field program. “She absolutely puts all she has into everything she does and leaves no stone unturned. She is completely enthusiastic about her education and she knew that distance running would help her live. She's a perfect role model for student-athletes and others because she has the self-motivation to get it all done.

“She doesn't leave anything undone and that approach rubs off on people around her. She is a pleasure to be around which gives her ample opportunities to be a role model. She truly lives life to its fullest,” Elder added.

Dubois served as the team captain for the Sooner cross country and track teams for several years. She was part of a team that helped the OU women earn their first national ranking in cross country and have their best ever finish in the Big 12 Cross Country meet in 2004.

She was a three-time selection to the Big 12 All-Academic Cross Country first team and was named to the Big 12 All-Academic track and field first team three times. She also was named a Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree in May 2005.

She has volunteered with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Special Olympics, Norman Public Schools, the American Red Cross, Meals on Wheels, Salvation Army and the Norman Battered Women's Shelter. As a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority on campus, Dubois has volunteered with a number of other organizations. She represented track and field and cross country on OU's Student Athlete Advisory Board.

She became the first athlete in OU history to win all four major awards at the annual Scholar-Athlete Honors Breakfast last April, taking home the 2005 Big 12 Conference Medal, the 2005 Athletic Director's Leadership Award, the 2005 Athletics Council Achievement Award and the 2005 Athletics Council Service Award.

She was OU's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award and also was nominated for the NCAA's Inspiration Award.

The Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup is presented to athletes from any sport that best display character, teamwork and citizenship, the attributes Athletes for a Better World deems central to transforming individuals, sport and society.

“We honor the most valuable person,' the athlete who makes the greatest difference in the lives of others,” said ABW Founder and President Fred Northup.

The other four collegiate finalists hailed from Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, North Carolina and Wake Forest. The other professional finalists were Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and WNBA star Tamika Catchings.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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