University of Oklahoma Athletics
The Best of the Best
October 17, 2007 | Athletics
NORMAN, Okla. -- Inspiring champions today, preparing leaders for tomorrow.
Seven words that form a strong foundation - the words are the mission statement for the University of Oklahoma Athletics Department. Within these words are the principles that guide the decisions that make the department function. Within these words are the principles that every administrator, coach and staff member subscribes to as they work together to create an environment that makes the mission statement a reality.
This environment produces amazing results as success breeds success. Student-athletes are given every opportunity to succeed, in and out of competition, and most do. There always, though, are the ones who take success to the next level, to a higher plane and they truly are "The Best of the Best."
For many schools, it would be a unique year to have one of these super stars. At the University of Oklahoma, one is the norm but a year with two like the 2006-07 academic year produced is cause for celebration.
When people review the 2006-07 academic year, there will be championship teams and individuals to note but there probably won't be any pair of individuals who earned more recognition than Carl Pendleton and Brittney Koncak-Schumann. To hear those who know them best, the recognition is well-deserved. What sets this duo apart is that even people who have never met them appreciate what they have done with their opportunities.
For Pendleton, everything revolves around turning an incredibly negative situation into a truly life-affirming one. As a child, Pendleton was often in the middle of things that, in his own words, weren't going to turn out positive. He was sent to Georgia to get a change of environment and what happened was a changed life that is changing lives.
He came into contact with a person who cared about him, a person he could trust to help him find the right way to be Carl Pendleton, a person who gave him an outlet for his anger that didn't revolve around fighting. In those years that he spent in Georgia, Pendleton's life changed in a way that borders on miraculous.
Fast forward a few years and the situation seems to be repeating - this time with Carl's younger brother as the person caught in the storm. Understanding what a change in scenery had done for him, Pendleton stepped in and took on the task of raising this young man, first as a guardian and later as the adopted parent. Pendleton continued playing football and being a stellar student but financial concerns began to become an issue. So, Carl Pendleton did the only thing he knew to do - he stepped away from football with a year of eligibility remaining, earned his undergraduate degree and began work on his graduate degree.
Once that decision was made, the application process for graduate scholarships began and soon Pendleton had been named a National Football Foundation, NCAA Postgraduate and Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate scholarship award winner. As his decision became public and the story behind his decision began to circulate, he began receiving other awards. Included in the honors was the Bobby Bowden FCA Award, one that he accepted by giving the award to the OU athletics department because of the opportunities it had provided him. In May, Pendleton became the third Sooner student-athlete to earn the Big 12 Male Sportsperson of the Year Award. As the conference honoree, Pendleton is a candidate for the NCAA Sportsperson of the Year Award.
For Pendleton, though, the ultimate award may be Kierstan, the person behind his decision. The pair is inseparable and Pendleton's abilities as a parent have led the teachers at Kierstan's school to ask him to share tips with other parents, extending his impact beyond Kierstan. Pendleton teaches Sunday School classes for young men and has worked as a camp counselor. He seems to attract the boys who won't listen to anyone else, the boys that many people may have given up on. Yet, Pendleton has made a difference in their lives, showing them a better way to resolve differences, deal with problems and live their lives.
Much like a rock that is thrown into a lake sends wave after wave out, extending the impact beyond the initial point, Pendleton has that effect on people. When he was selected to represent the Class of 2006 as class speaker at the College of Arts and Sciences graduation ceremonies in December, he took the opportunity to challenge the graduates to embrace the opportunity to become better people and the responsibilities that a college degree brings.
When he was announced as the Big 12 winner, Pendleton used the opportunity to thank the man in Georgia who had helped re-shape his life. "Pastor (Jessie) Barnes, Jr., used to tell me that God had a big plan for me and that everything that happened to me was for a reason, that it was a building block for the future. His favorite was that if you aren't going through a storm now, just wait and one will find you. It's the process of going through the smaller storms, though, that make you able to handle the storms that are still to come. I didn't understand at the time many of the things he told me but it makes a lot of sense now."
While Pendleton's impact started with one person and spread out, Koncak-Schumann has been at the forefront of changing things for a large group of people, specifically NCAA student-athletes. An All-American gymnast who carries a 3.95 grade point average in health and exercise science, Koncak-Schumann has always looked at the big picture and what she can do to improve that picture.
In addition to being a highly successful collegiate gymnast, an outstanding pre-med student who just happens to be married to a student who aspires to become a veterinarian, Koncak-Schumann has been a leader on every level. In recognition of her contributions, she was named as the Big 12's nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year and was notified in early August that she is one of 30 semifinalists for that award. The nine finalists will be announced in September with the 2007 honoree announced in October.
When the Sooners welcomed a new coach into the gym prior to the start of the 2006-07 academic year, it was Koncak-Schumann who helped with the transition, helping create a team dynamic that coach K.J. Kindler called "one of the best she had ever been around. There is a chemistry that would not be here if it hadn't been for Brittney's leadership and ability to manage others around her."
Koncak-Schumann served as president of the OU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years and was a member one other year, served as vice-chair and chair and was a member of the Big 12 SAAC for a third year and served on the NCAA SAAC for two years. In those roles, she was instrumental in helping shape the discussions on issues around student-athlete welfare.
According to Stephanie Rempe, OU's senior woman administrator, Koncak-Schumann embraced the value of being a role model. "Brittney makes an impact on everyone around her. Her strong, positive attitude, consistent work ethic, commitment to achieve excellence and sincere concern for the welfare of others make her a special individual. Her strong interpersonal skills and maturity allow her to work well with children, peers, coaches and administrators. She has been able to effectively articulate her own views as well the views of others because she listens to what they have to say. She is a wonderful ambassador for our department and an incredible representative of what a Sooner student-athlete is all about."
In her nomination for Woman of the Year, Koncak-Schumann was asked to describe the benefits she has gained from being a student-athlete. She wrote that "first I have discovered a passion for medicine because of some of my classes. Second, I have had the privilege of learning to communicate with superiors and colleagues in a professional and social manner as a leader on campus and finally, I have gained the understanding of how important it is to give back."
It is those same things that have supported Koncak-Schumann as she served on the Academic Integrity and Student-Athlete Welfare Committee, the Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund Executive Committee and represented the student-athletes on an internal committee that was charged with creating and implementing the 30-hour rule, a new OU academic standard for student-athletes. She was very involved with the construction and passage of the Sooner Oath. Its annual recitation during student-athlete convocation began a new tradition at the start of the 2007-08 academic year. For the better part of two years, Koncak-Schumann was literally the voice and the face of OU student-athletes, and she took great pride in representing the nearly 500 student-athletes who call themselves Sooners.
Carl Pendleton and Brittney Koncak-Schumann -- two people from very different backgrounds whose paths crossed at the University of Oklahoma and who are living examples that those seven words are more than ink on paper. They truly form the foundation and the spirit of what it means every time a Sooner team enters competition, a Sooner student-athlete takes a test in the classroom or a group of Sooners head out for an afternoon of volunteering.
Inspiring champions today, preparing leaders for tomorrow
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By Debbie Copp, Director of Publications
