Born in a boxcar, Jackson’s talent on and off the court led him to the highest levels of the game, the board room, and now the NCAA. Jackson attributes much of his success to his experiences at the University of Illinois, Champaign, and is now giving back to his alma mater in a unique way.

Longtime Committee on Academic Performance chair Walter Harrison will receive the 2015 Gerald R. Ford Award.

Former University of Oklahoma women’s basketball player Tamyra Rogers tries to save lives. First, though, she helped save a team.

The star pitcher could have turned pro immediately after high school but chose a partial scholarship to Stanford instead. Decades later, he says he would make the same decision again.

The former Brown University basketball player had a lifelong dream of being a college athletics administrator. That dream has been fulfilled – he now works as Stanford’s athletics director.

McDaniels had a successful career as a football player at Oregon State University, and later in the National Football League, but found himself constantly striving to learn more about the world and the people around him. He now works as a college professor and faculty curator at Emory University.

Brent Lang is CEO and president of Vocera Communications. The former Michigan swimmer credits his leadership style, in part, to time as a student-athlete and interactions with swimming hall of famer Jon Urbanchek.