About the Awards
The Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Awards are given in recognition of America's premier athletes who have excelled in their sport and have shown by their actions a desire to help others. Their outstanding personal involvement and success in their chosen work have made them heroes in the eyes of the world.
Today's young men and women need positive role models with whom they can identify. All too often it is the negative news of athletes they hear in the media. However, in cities, towns and villages of America both our amateur and professional athletes alike are making worthwhile contributions of their time, talent and resources for the betterment of others.
Henry P. Iba was an unparalleled success as a coach, a leader and a citizen. The Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Awards were created to recognize and honor one female and one male athlete who best exemplify the high degree of citizenship in the image of Henry P. Iba.
EVENT HISTORY
All of us are influenced daily by sports and its athletes. For many of us, our language, attitudes and personalities are shaped by athletes and those who promote them.
It should be no surprise. Sporting events occurred even before the ancient Greek Olympics started in 776 B.C. The Olympics were tributes to the gods, a show of humanity's capacity for grace, speed and strength. Today the Olympics have grown to unite the world's countries, if only briefly, for the most grandiose entertainment spectacle imaginable.
WHO CAN FORGET THOSE MOMENTS IN SPORTS THAT CHANGED HUMAN RELATIONS FOREVER -- like Jesse Owens running and jumping all over Hitler's desire to portray the 1936 Games as proof of Aryan superiority? Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball? And the world coming to a stop as we watched when nine terrorists kidnapped Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich?
EVERYONE KNOWS SPORTS' TIMELESS ICONS -- Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Today's Lance Armstrong. Sporting events have become defining events on the national calendar - the World Series, March Madness, the Olympics, the Bowl Championship Series and the Super Bowl are all important yearly milestones.
NO OTHER VENUE OFFERS THE SAME EXCITEMENT -- Loyalty. Adrenaline. Pride. The surprise when the underdog wins. Astonishment when a record is broken.
OUR CHILDREN LEARN ABOUT SPORTSMANSHIP AND LIFE FROM ATHLETIC COMPETITION -- how to handle success and failure, how to be a team player and persevere. There are no boundaries of age, race, gender or finance. There is no script or outline. It is real and pure. As Tim Brando stated in his keynote address in 2004, "If you want reality TV, it is on every Saturday afternoon on college campuses all over the country."
In the world of sports, Henry P. Iba stood out as a teacher, role model and success story. Few have been more committed to the principles of character and excellence as Mr. Iba. The lessons he taught athletes were profound and important. This undoubtedly helped him reach the pinnacle of his profession as a college basketball coach and the only one to ever coach three different U.S. Olympic basketball teams.
Not all athletes present the image we want -- many could never be positive role models. The purpose of the Iba Awards is to recognize the positive contributions to humanity by influential and successful athletes who present the proper image and who are positive role models. Because they participate in sports at the highest level, these athletes can leave permanent impressions on those around us, especially children.
The Rotary Club of Tulsa is proud to celebrate the Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Awards. We dedicate this important endeavor to Mr. Iba and the integrity he exemplified.
