USF senior defensive end George Selvie was recognized this weekend with the Emmitt Smith Athletic Achievement Award, a national honor awarded by the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.
The award, named for the former Gator and Cowboys running back who is the NFL's career rushing leader, goes to a fraternity member who best combines athletic and academic success with fraternity and community involvement. The award, presented at the fraternity's national conclave in New Orleans, carries with it a monetary scholarship as well.
The honor is especially significant for Selvie because he hails from Pensacola, which is also where Smith was born and where he starred at Escambia High School. Selvie was a consensus All-American and Big East Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 after leading the nation in tackles for loss, and was a first-team AFCA All-American and first-team All-Big East selection last season. He enters his senior year as the nation's active leader in tackles for loss.
Selvie's national honor comes one month after he was honored with the Collegiate Hall of Fame Award by the southern region of Phi Beta Sigma. Here's a good story from last year when the award and scholarship were first announced by the fraternity. Selvie has been active in helping with USF's involvement in the Youth Impact Program, a four-week camp for at-risk middle schoolers on USF's campus.
Times sportswriter Greg Auman, who covers USF, will post news and thoughts on the Bulletin and we invite your participation in the comments area.
Emmitt Smith is great!! He is gonna be at this sports legends challange thing this fall with his former teammate Troy Aikman. I'm excited. I tried to get the ticket they were selling on Ebay yesterday but someone out bidded me. I hope they put up another ticket.
Posted by: Ana | July 28, 2009 at 06:26 PM
Congrats George
Posted by: Walla Walla Bing Bang | July 16, 2009 at 05:14 PM
HooooooooooooooooooooooooT brother owl!
Posted by: The Great | July 15, 2009 at 07:50 PM
Good job George...continue being a humbled young man and the Sky is the limit.
Posted by: Bodyguard | July 15, 2009 at 07:22 PM
Blue PHI to George Selvie.
Posted by: Anderson | July 15, 2009 at 01:51 PM
Make that athletes.
Posted by: DELdaBULL | July 15, 2009 at 01:01 PM
It is nice to be able to post with the crackberry again.
Why can't all student aþhletes be like George Selvie?
Posted by: DELdaBULL | July 15, 2009 at 12:51 PM
Congratulations Selvie! I didn't know that Oprah was a USF football fan. GO BULLS!
Posted by: Steve O'Neal | July 15, 2009 at 12:31 PM
Selvie is a great guy and a great player. If he can just stay away from injuries this year he is going to have a monster season. Congrats to Selvie
GO BULLS !!!
Posted by: Sandro | July 15, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Congrats. Oprah's proud of you!
Posted by: Byron | July 15, 2009 at 11:49 AM