Dubois Wins Wilma Rudolph Award

NORMAN, Okla. Wilma Rudolph was unable to walk without braces until she was 14 because she had double pneumonia and scarlet fever as a child. She used running to strengthen her legs and, in 1960, won three gold medals in the Olympic Games, earning her the title of “World's Fastest Woman.” Jackie Dubois was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis two months after her birth. She used running to hold back the disease and earned an athletic scholarship to OU. She graduated with honors from the University of Oklahoma as a member of the Class of 2006.

Two women, both runners, who used running to overcome challenges that would have stopped many people -- a shared commitment to excellence and perseverance -- now share an award. Dubois was recently named a winner of the 2006 Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award. She will receive the award on June 25 at the National Association of Acdemic Advisors for Athletics (N4A) convention in Pittsburgh. The N4A group began presenting the award to recognize student-athletes who have succeeded in spite of significant challenges. Dubois is the first Sooner student-athlete to win the award.

Dubois, who graduated from OU earlier this month with a degree in meteorology and a double minor in math and communications, finished her undergraduate studies with a 3.80 grade point average. She lettered four years in cross country at OU. 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 2004 Big 12 Cross Country Championship. She served as team co-captain for the cross country and track and field teams during her Sooner career.

She received the 2006 John Wooden Citizenship Cup in January. She was a three-time selection to the Big 12 All-Academic cross country and track and field teams. She also was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree in May 2005.

For many, running is a release, an escape from the pressures of the world. For Dubois, she is literally running for her life, and her approach to that race makes everyone around her better for the experience. C.B. Elder, her academic advisor at OU who nominated her for the award, said “running is part of her program to fight the effects of this disease and to live longer. This young woman has refused to succumb to this disease. She has been a team leader, a team captain and an inspiration. Her success is so great that she effectively makes it impossible to feel sorry for her. Her success represents the great victory she was won over the specter of this disease. I have never admired a student-athlete more than I admire Jackie.”

Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth and given a life expectancy of her late teens, Dubois will pursue a master's degree in meteorology at OU this fall. She has received a research assistantship from OU and a fellowship scholarship from the American Meteorological Society. She received numerous academic awards from the School of Meteorology, including an award presented by the faculty for outstanding achievement as an undergraduate student. She won that award in April 2005 and April 2006. Additionally, she has presented papers at national meteorological conventions.

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 Council. She became the first athlete in OU history to win all four major awards at the annual Scholar-Athlete Honors Breakfast in April 2005, 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.

“Jackie is one of those student-athletes who come along very rarely in your career,” said Elder. “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.

The N4A was established in 1975 to enhance opportunities for academic, athletic and personal success for collegiate student-athletes. The objectives are achieved by providing informed, competent advising and by serving as a liaison between academic and athletic communities on college campuses across the country. N4A members promote the integrity of their profession by providing guidelines and sharing principles with each other as they share informaiton, resources and expertise in their efforts to empower student-athletes to become more productive individuals through educational and personal development.

June is proving to be a busy month for this Sooner graduate. She and Adam Miller will be married this Saturday in Lawrence, Kan., her hometown.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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