At its Convention in January, the NCAA will honor six former student-athletes for their outstanding collegiate and professional achievements.
The Silver Anniversary Award recipients are recognized on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their college athletics careers. The awardees were nominated by administrators at their undergraduate school and are selected by a panel of former student-athletes and representatives from NCAA member schools and conferences.
The 2024 recipients are Nicole Aunapu Mann, Jerry Azumah, Shannon Boxx, John Cena, Misty May-Treanor and Cindy Parlow Cone. The awardees will be celebrated Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the NCAA Convention Welcome and Awards Presentation in Phoenix.
Learn more about the 2024 recipients below:
Nicole Aunapu Mann
School: U.S. Naval Academy
Major: Mechanical engineering
Sport: Women's soccer
As a student-athlete: Nicole Aunapu Mann earned first-team All-Patriot League recognition and United Soccer Coaches all-region honors all four years for Navy women's soccer. The Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year in 1997 and 1998, Mann helped lead Navy to the program's first regular-season conference title in 1998. Mann earned several accolades beyond the pitch, too. In 1998, she was named the Patriot League Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American and a candidate for the NCAA Woman of the Year. As a senior, Mann was selected as part of Navy's Trident Scholar Program, which provides opportunity for a limited number of exceptionally capable students to engage in independent study and research during their final year. Mann was also presented with the Vice Admiral Lawrence Sword for Women for the class of 1999. The honor is given to a woman of the graduating class who personally excelled in athletics during her years of varsity competition.
As a professional: An active astronaut for NASA and a U.S. Marine Corps colonel, Mann served as commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, Endurance, which launched to the International Space Station on Oct. 5, 2022. In doing so, Mann became the first Indigenous woman from NASA to go to space. The Crew-5 astronauts lived and worked aboard the ISS for nearly six months, during which Mann executed two spacewalks. Mann's path to NASA started by completing Marine Corps officer training in Quantico, Virginia, which was followed by flight training. After earning her Naval Aviator wings in 2003, she logged over 2,700 flight hours in 25 types of aircraft, 200-plus carrier landings and 47 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. She has received two Air Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals. Mann was selected as one of eight members of NASA's 21st astronaut class in 2013 and completed her training in 2015.
Jerry Azumah
School: University of New Hampshire
Major: Sociology
Sport: Football
As a student-athlete: A star running back for New Hampshire from 1995-98, Jerry Azumah set the Football Championship Subdivision career rushing record with 6,193 yards and the career all-purpose yards record with 8,376 yards. Winner of the 1998 Walter Payton Award that honors the top offensive player in the FCS, Azumah still holds numerous school records at New Hampshire: single-game rushing yards (329), rushing yards in a season (2,195), career rushing yards (6,193), single-game carries (53), season carries (343), career carries (1,045), single-game rushing touchdowns (5), career rushing touchdowns (60) and career all-purpose yards (8,376). He left a mark beyond the field, too. In 1999, he became one of the first recipients of the Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year Award, given to New Hampshire student-athletes who excel both in athletic competition and the classroom, in addition to possessing sportsmanship, great character and passion for sports. In 2005, Azumah was inducted into the New Hampshire Wildcats Athletics Council Hall of Fame.
As a professional: A fifth-round NFL draft pick, Azumah spent seven seasons (1999-2005) in the league as a defensive back, all with the Chicago Bears. He appeared in 105 games, made a Pro Bowl appearance in 2003 and was awarded the Brian Piccolo Award by his teammates for exemplifying courage, loyalty, teamwork and dedication. He maintained his connection to his alma mater throughout his NFL career and, in 2001, became a board member of the University of New Hampshire Foundation. In 2003, he made a six-figure donation to the foundation that helped fund The Jerry Azumah Performance Center. A year later, he launched the Azumah Student Assistance Program, which provides scholarships for disadvantaged students who attend private secondary schools. Azumah has also served on the board of directors of Bears Care, the philanthropic arm of the Chicago Bears. He is a board member of Metropolitan Family Services, which helps provide services to strengthen Illinois families and communities. In 2023, Azumah joined the board of Gilda's Club, an organization for people with cancer, as well as their families and friends. He also donates his time to former teammates' charities and foundations. After his playing days, Azumah transitioned to a sports media personality and has appeared on various Chicago-based networks. Currently, he can be heard on his podcast, "To the Points With Jerry Azumah," where he previews prime-time NFL matchups.
Shannon Boxx
School: University of Notre Dame
Major: Psychology and African American studies
Sport: Women's soccer
As a student-athlete: A versatile talent on the pitch, Shannon Boxx amassed 101 appearances in her Notre Dame career, including 96 starts. She finished her career with an 89-8-4 record, which was highlighted by helping Notre Dame win the school's first NCAA women's soccer championship in 1995. Boxx, who earned All-Big East honors three times, is one of 12 Notre Dame women's soccer players in program history in the "30-30 Club," recording 39 goals and 57 assists in her career. Her career assists total ranks sixth in program history.
As a professional: After earning her first cap for Team USA at age 26 and becoming the oldest American woman to make an international debut, Boxx became a staple of the U.S. women's national team. She went on to represent Team USA 195 times, which ranks 15th all time and is the most by an American Black woman. She was a member of three Olympic gold medal-winning teams and finished third in the 2005 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year voting. She capped her career at the age of 38 as a member of the 2015 Women's World Cup championship team. Before her retirement, Boxx also played in three women's professional leagues: the Women's United Soccer Association, Women's Professional Soccer and the National Women's Soccer League. Boxx, who was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in May 2022, accomplished this all while managing two autoimmune diseases: Sjogren's syndrome and lupus. Through sharing her story publicly, Boxx has worked to drive awareness to and funding for both diseases. After retiring in Portland, Oregon, Boxx co-founded the Bridge City Soccer Academy, which works to empower young women of all backgrounds to succeed as coaches, athletes and leaders in their communities, and she became a co-owner of the NWSL expansion team Angel City FC. In May 2022, she founded Ethos Mentality, an organization that aims to help athletes transition out of sport. She is also an on-air analyst for U.S. women's national team games.
John Cena
School: Springfield College
Major: Applied exercise science
Sport: Football
As a student-athlete: John Cena served as one of three captains on the 1998 Springfield football team that went 9-2 and advanced to the Division III tournament. At season's end, the accolades rolled in for the senior, as he was named a Hewlett-Packard Division III first-team All-American, a Football Gazette All-American, an Eastern College Athletic Conference New England/Northeast Division III All-Star and a New England Football Writers Division II/III All-Star. A three-time Freedom Football Conference All-Academic honoree, Cena was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015 and was honored at Springfield College's 40 Under 40 Awards Celebration in 2017.
As a professional: While football ended for Cena after his time at Springfield, he put his athleticism to use as a professional wrestler. Now, he's one of the most recognizable sports and entertainment faces in the world as a World Wrestling Entertainment superstar and 16-time world champion. He is also well known as an actor and former rapper. His philanthropic work is just as notable. Cena has been especially involved with Make-A-Wish, granting more than 650 wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses, which is more than anyone else involved with the organization. He's also been an advocate in anti-bullying efforts and promoting the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. Additionally, he's been heavily involved with the Susan G. Komen organization, which strives to eradicate breast cancer, and has worked with WWE to raise more than $1.5 million to support that mission. The collection of these efforts led to him receiving the 2018 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award in recognition of his leadership as a philanthropist.
Misty May-Treanor
School: Long Beach State University
Major: Kinesiology, option in fitness
Sport: Women's volleyball
As a student-athlete: Before she was an American icon in beach volleyball, Misty May-Treanor was a star setter for Long Beach State's indoor team. While in a college uniform, May-Treanor was a two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Player of the Year, two-time Volleyball Magazine Player of the Year and a three-time All-American. She received Big West Conference Player of the Year honors three times, as well. May-Treanor's career was highlighted by leading Long Beach State to a perfect 36-0 record en route to winning the 1998 NCAA Division I championship and earning Final Four co-Most Outstanding Player recognition. Her performance that season also earned her the 1998-99 Honda-Broderick Cup, an award that is presented annually to the nation's outstanding collegiate woman athlete and selected by a national vote involving more than 900 NCAA member schools. She was just the second volleyball player to ever win the prestigious award.
As a professional: As a beach volleyball player, May-Treanor is a four-time Olympian and won three-straight gold medals with her partner Kerri Walsh Jennings in 2004, 2008 and 2012. She is a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame and the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. May-Treanor finished her career with 112 tournament victories, which included winning 19 tournaments and 112 matches in a row at one point. Since retiring, May-Treanor has stayed close to volleyball. She went back to help coach her alma mater's beach volleyball team, which won the AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Championship in 2013. May-Treanor also volunteered with the Southern California women's beach volleyball team in 2013-14, and she spent four seasons coaching indoor and beach volleyball at Long Beach City College, compiling a 79-22 overall indoor record and a 37-13 beach volleyball record before stepping down to focus on her family. Additionally, May-Treanor has been an active supporter of Special Olympics and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, as well as starting her own family foundation, the May-Treanor Ohana Foundation. She earned a master's degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University Irvine in 2013.
Cindy Parlow Cone
School: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Major: Education
Sport: Women's soccer
As a student-athlete: A four-time All-American at forward for North Carolina, Cindy Parlow Cone helped lead North Carolina to back-to-back NCAA championships in 1996 and 1997, while winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship all four years. Cone scored 68 goals and had 53 assists in her North Carolina career. She won both the Missouri Athletic Club Player of the Year award and the Hermann Trophy twice, joining Mia Hamm at the time as the only two-time winners of both awards. As an 18-year-old college student, Cone was the youngest player on the 1996 U.S. women's national team, which won gold at the Atlanta Olympics. Cone, who skipped her senior year of high school to enroll early at North Carolina, thrived in the classroom, as well, earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-America honors twice while majoring in education.
As a professional: Named the first female president of the United States Soccer Federation in March 2020, Cone has a rich and successful history of leading U.S. soccer. She played for the U.S. women's national team for nine years, retiring in 2004 after making 158 starts and winning two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup title. She finished her career with 75 career goals, which ranks as the seventh most all time and included seven hat tricks. A member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Cone helped guide North Carolina to four NCAA titles between 2006 and 2012 as an assistant coach. Over the last three years, she navigated U.S. soccer through the COVID-19 pandemic; prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion efforts; and achieved equal pay between the U.S. men's and women's national teams. Simultaneously, she led U.S. soccer in the signing of historic media and sponsorship deals. Now, she is leading an initiative to build U.S. soccer's first, world-class National Training Center in Atlanta.
