FOOTBALL'S MAYER RECEIVES COURAGE AWARD...
CLEVELAND, OH (January 22, 2008) - Case Western Reserve University senior wide receiver Jeff Mayer will be honored at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards banquet on Jan. 24 at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel where he will be awarded the Cleveland Clinic Courage Award.
The announcement was made by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission this month. The Courage Award is given to an athlete who displays courage beyond the boundaries of the playing field, inspiring those around him.
Mayer, a Vermillion native, was nominated for the award by the Cleveland Clinic for his remarkable determination to overcome several sports-related injuries and a near fatal hit- and-run accident that took place in 2005 when Mayer attended Baldwin-Wallace College .
“I have overcome a lot of adversity, so just being able to play again was a thrill and the rest of this stuff, including the award, is just icing on the cake,” Mayer said. “It goes to show a lot of hard work and perseverance pays off in the end.
“For me, this award is a great honor,” Mayer continued. “Coming here [Case Western reserve] from BW, I didn't know what to expect. I was just happy to be able to be in the shape to play. Then, to play on such a great team, was amazing for me.”
His first major injury came during his senior year at Vermillion High School when he tore his left ACL, ending his hopes of playing collegiate football for the United States Air Force Academy. Mayer then decided to enroll at Purdue University , and after he wasn't able to make the University's football team, he decided to transfer to Baldwin-Wallace.
But where there's a will, there's a way, and after major knee surgery, Mayer was able to make his way back to the gridiron. But in the middle of his third year at BW, he was victim to the hit-and-run driver, and recovering from the accident forced him to attend classes part-time at BW.
Mayer then transferred to Case Western Reserve in August of last year, and Head Football Coach Greg Debeljak gave him a chance to play for the Spartans.
Debeljak and his coaching staff had recruited Mayer when he was a senior in high school and after he transferred from Purdue, so being able to get him the third time around and at the age of 24 was certainly a unique opportunity for Debeljak and his coaching staff.
“We knew he could help us if he was healthy,” Debeljak said. “There were many obstacles in his way and his sheer perseverance and will probably led to the finest athletic moment of his life at the end of the season. I'm thrilled for him and I think he's a great recipient of the award.”
Mayer found the right time to score his first touchdown as a Spartan. On Nov. 17 with the Spartans down 20-15 with two seconds remaining in the game, Mayer caught the game-winning touchdown as time expired to give Case a 21-20 victory over Widener University in the first playoff game in Spartan football history.
“Just to be able to play in a game like that was a once in a lifetime chance,” Mayer explained. “Then to have a catch like that, it is one of those moments you will never forget.”
Mayer caught 22 passes this season for 247 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He will graduate from Case Western Reserve University in the spring of 2009 with a degree in mechanical engineering, specializing in aerospace.
Link to Morning Journal story on Mayer -- http://www.morningjournal.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=19159702&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=566374&rfi=8
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