University of Memphis Athletics
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Tubby Smith Named Mannie Jackson - Basketball's Human Spirit Award Winner
May 20, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Smith joins Chris Paul and Jalen Rose as winners of the 2016 Award
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - On Friday evening (May 20) Memphis head men's basketball coach Tubby Smith was honored with the Basketball Hall of Fame's Mannie Jackson - Basketball Human Spirit Award Winner, joining 12-year NBA veteran Chris Paul and ABC/ESPN basketball analyst Jalen Rose.
The winners will be recognized on Thursday, September 8 at the Reunion Dinner on the Hall of Fame's Center Court during Enshrinement Weekend.
"The Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to recognize these three exceptional humanitarians who have used basketball as a platform to improve the lives of others," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "The Mannie Jackson - Basketball's Human Spirit Award is a prestigious honor awarded only to those with this highest level of dedication to making a positive impact off the court – Mr. Paul, Mr. Rose and Mr. Smith are remarkably qualified."
Established in 2007, the Mannie Jackson - Basketball's Human Spirit Award honors individuals who have found the game of basketball to be a contributing aspect of their personal growth and accomplishment, a place to develop an understanding of others and an avenue that has helped shape his or her growth into a recognized visionary leader. Winners must reflect the values of Mannie Jackson's life-long mission to overcome obstacles and challenge the status quo, while taking responsibility for his or her actions and seeking the highest standard of excellence.
"When you see athletes in the news, you see one dimension of a person and that's the time they are playing basketball. Within those people are very special traits," said Mannie Jackson, the Award's namesake. "A Hall of Fame should recognize the great athletes, but also the great people who are in athletics that are doing extraordinary things for their communities."
Paul, Rose and Smith were chosen from a large candidate pool that represents every level of basketball and is reviewed annually by a distinguished Selection Committee appointed by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Mr. Jackson.
Jackson has served as a positive example and role model to his peers, in addition to his tremendous business success. A former star for the Harlem Globetrotters, Jackson served as a senior executive for Honeywell Inc. during the 1980's and early 1990's, and saved the Globetrotters from near extinction in 1993 when he purchased the team. In doing so, Mannie Jackson became the first African-American owner of a major international sports and entertainment organization. In a short period of time, Jackson revived the organization and led the Globetrotters to record attendance and revenue growth while expanding the influence of the Globetrotters to more than 118 countries. Under Jackson's watch, the Globetrotters charitable contributions totaled over $15 million and in 2002 the Harlem Globetrotters were elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
In 2012, Jackson penned his bestselling autobiography, "Boxcar To Boardrooms" and continues to donate generously to numerous causes including the American Red Cross, victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast, victims of the tsunami in Southeast Asia, the Globetrotters Scholarship Foundation, the University of Illinois, South African youth funds, the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Lincoln School Alumni Foundation of his hometown Edwardsville, Illinois.
Smith, who is in his first season as the University of Memphis head men's basketball coach, is a NCAA Champion and the 2003 Naismith Coach of the Year, and is one of the most respected coaches in the game. He is just one of two coaches to lead five different schools to the NCAA tournament and in 2016 he earned the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. The annual award recognizes the lifetime achievement of coaches who exemplify Coach Wooden's high standards of coaching success and personal integrity including character, success rate on the court, graduating rate of student-athletes and coaching philosophy. In 1998, Smith and his wife established the Tubby Smith Foundation in Kentucky and raised more than $1.5 million in the first five years. The Foundation has followed Smith on his coaching journey and had a positive impact in several communities by funding youth initiatives such as playgrounds, children's hospitals, schools and youth camps and more.
Previous Mannie Jackson – Basketball's Human Spirit Award Winners (2007-2015)
2015: Paul Fireman, Bill Self, Steve Smith
2014: Bob Delaney, Robert L. Johnson
2013: Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Pat Summitt, Boo Williams
2012: Jim Calhoun, Grant Hill, Dr. Richard Lapchick
2011: Chauncey Billups, Dr. John "Jumpin' Johnny" Kline, The V Foundation
2010: Jim Boeheim, Samuel Dalembert, Alfreda Harris
2009: Ken Hudson, Bob Lanier, Alonzo Mourning
2008: Sonny Hill, David Robinson
2007:Â Dikembe Mutombo
The winners will be recognized on Thursday, September 8 at the Reunion Dinner on the Hall of Fame's Center Court during Enshrinement Weekend.
"The Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to recognize these three exceptional humanitarians who have used basketball as a platform to improve the lives of others," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "The Mannie Jackson - Basketball's Human Spirit Award is a prestigious honor awarded only to those with this highest level of dedication to making a positive impact off the court – Mr. Paul, Mr. Rose and Mr. Smith are remarkably qualified."
Established in 2007, the Mannie Jackson - Basketball's Human Spirit Award honors individuals who have found the game of basketball to be a contributing aspect of their personal growth and accomplishment, a place to develop an understanding of others and an avenue that has helped shape his or her growth into a recognized visionary leader. Winners must reflect the values of Mannie Jackson's life-long mission to overcome obstacles and challenge the status quo, while taking responsibility for his or her actions and seeking the highest standard of excellence.
"When you see athletes in the news, you see one dimension of a person and that's the time they are playing basketball. Within those people are very special traits," said Mannie Jackson, the Award's namesake. "A Hall of Fame should recognize the great athletes, but also the great people who are in athletics that are doing extraordinary things for their communities."
Paul, Rose and Smith were chosen from a large candidate pool that represents every level of basketball and is reviewed annually by a distinguished Selection Committee appointed by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Mr. Jackson.
Jackson has served as a positive example and role model to his peers, in addition to his tremendous business success. A former star for the Harlem Globetrotters, Jackson served as a senior executive for Honeywell Inc. during the 1980's and early 1990's, and saved the Globetrotters from near extinction in 1993 when he purchased the team. In doing so, Mannie Jackson became the first African-American owner of a major international sports and entertainment organization. In a short period of time, Jackson revived the organization and led the Globetrotters to record attendance and revenue growth while expanding the influence of the Globetrotters to more than 118 countries. Under Jackson's watch, the Globetrotters charitable contributions totaled over $15 million and in 2002 the Harlem Globetrotters were elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
In 2012, Jackson penned his bestselling autobiography, "Boxcar To Boardrooms" and continues to donate generously to numerous causes including the American Red Cross, victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast, victims of the tsunami in Southeast Asia, the Globetrotters Scholarship Foundation, the University of Illinois, South African youth funds, the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Lincoln School Alumni Foundation of his hometown Edwardsville, Illinois.
Smith, who is in his first season as the University of Memphis head men's basketball coach, is a NCAA Champion and the 2003 Naismith Coach of the Year, and is one of the most respected coaches in the game. He is just one of two coaches to lead five different schools to the NCAA tournament and in 2016 he earned the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. The annual award recognizes the lifetime achievement of coaches who exemplify Coach Wooden's high standards of coaching success and personal integrity including character, success rate on the court, graduating rate of student-athletes and coaching philosophy. In 1998, Smith and his wife established the Tubby Smith Foundation in Kentucky and raised more than $1.5 million in the first five years. The Foundation has followed Smith on his coaching journey and had a positive impact in several communities by funding youth initiatives such as playgrounds, children's hospitals, schools and youth camps and more.
Previous Mannie Jackson – Basketball's Human Spirit Award Winners (2007-2015)
2015: Paul Fireman, Bill Self, Steve Smith
2014: Bob Delaney, Robert L. Johnson
2013: Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Pat Summitt, Boo Williams
2012: Jim Calhoun, Grant Hill, Dr. Richard Lapchick
2011: Chauncey Billups, Dr. John "Jumpin' Johnny" Kline, The V Foundation
2010: Jim Boeheim, Samuel Dalembert, Alfreda Harris
2009: Ken Hudson, Bob Lanier, Alonzo Mourning
2008: Sonny Hill, David Robinson
2007:Â Dikembe Mutombo
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