April 6 Proclaimed National Student-Athlete Day

Story Links

April 6, 1998

Governor James Gilmore has signed a proclamation recognizing April6 as National Student-Athlete Day in the Commonwealth of Virginia andCharlottesville Mayor Kay Slaughter will sign a proclamation in front ofUVa’s McCue Center on Monday, April 6 at 8:00 a.m. to declare NationalStudent-Athlete Day in Charlottesville. In its 11th year, National-Student Athlete Day honorsstudent-athletes and the network of parents, coaches, teachers and schoolsystems who make it possible for young people to strike a balance betweenacademic and athletics achievement. The day, established by NortheasternUniversity’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society, is co-sponsored bythe National Consortium for Academics and Sports and the NCAA.

The University of Virginia will recognize its student-athletesthrough a display of their academic, athletic and community serviceachievements in the Sports Section of the Monday, April 6 edition of theCharlottesville Daily Progress.

“National Student-Athlete Day provides the chance to have auniversal celebration recognizing the many positive activities in whichstudent-athletes are engaged within the University and academic communitiesas well as the local community as a whole,” said UVa Senior AssociateAthletic Director Craig Littlepage. “We hear so much about negativeincidents, but on April 6th we can focus our attention on the classroom andthe community service accomplishments and the athletic distinctionsachieved by young men and young women in all sports at every level.”

President Clinton has saluted those involved in the NationalStudent-Athlete Day activities. Last year, in an open letter acknowledgingthe day he wrote, “A healthy balance between sports and academics isessential to ensuring that our students are prepared for the challenges ofthe future.”