GAA Honors NFL Player for Serving Community Off the Field
Posted on April 12, 2013
Jeff Saturday ’97 (Photo by Will Owens ’88)
A star pro football player who developed a reputation for stellar community service off the field has been honored by the GAA with a Distinguished Young Alumni Award.
Jeff Saturday ’97, who recently retired after playing center 14 years in the NFL, received the award from the association’s Board of Directors at a banquet Friday for bringing credit to the University through his achievements.
“The remarkable accomplishments of many of Carolina’s younger alumni such as Jeff are truly inspiring,” said GAA President Doug Dibbert ’70.
Saturday, who earned a business degree at Carolina, played his last game at the Pro Bowl in January. He spent his last season with the Green Bay Packers but played the previous 13 with the Indianapolis Colts. In February, he signed a one-day contract with the Colts so he could officially retire from that team and took a job there in media relations.
The Atlanta native received many awards and recognitions during his pro career, including ESPN’s Non-Quarterback, Non-Running Back NFL MVP in 2006; NFL Lineman of the Year in 2007; the NFL record, with Peyton Manning, for the Center With the Most Starts With the Same Quarterback; and a Super Bowl championship ring for the Colts’ Super Bowl XLI victory in 2007. He was selected for the Pro Bowl six times.
Besides those playing honors, Saturday has received many awards for his off-the-field community service, including the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and the Ed Block Courage Award from the NFL; and the Sagamore of the Wabash Award, the highest honor an Indiana governor can bestow each year on someone who has made a significant contribution to the quality of life in the Hoosier state.
A day was designated in his honor in Indianapolis, where among his many activities he is spokesman for the Riley Hospital for Children’s Miracle Ride, honorary chair of the People’s Burn Foundation and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and on the boards of Kids’ Voice of Indiana, an advocacy and support agency for those working with at-risk children, and the Sharon L. Bassett Foundation, which supports women and families living with breast cancer.
“My wife [Karen] and I have always felt that giving back is the main priority of why we are here,” Saturday said. “We should do something with the lives we’ve been blessed with.”
Since 1989, the GAA’s Distinguished Young Alumni Awards have recognized alumni age 40 or younger whose accomplishments have brought credit to the University. A roster of past recipients is available at alumni.unc.edu/awards.
More online…
- Previous award recipients are listed at alumni.unc.edu/awards; detailed coverage is available from the Carolina Alumni Review; reports from the most recent five years are in the GAA’s members-only area of the website while previous issues of the Review are open to all.
- Nonprofit Founder, Comedy Writer Receive GAA’s Award for Young Alumni
- October 2012 news report
- Educator Receives GAA’s Award for Young Alumni
October 2011 news report - Author Receives GAA’s Award For Young Alumni
April 2011 news report - Two From ’93 Receive GAA’s Award For Young Alumni
October 2010 news report - GAA Honors Three With Distinguished Young Alumni Awards
October 2009 news report - Service at Heart of GAA’s Recognition of Two Young Alumni
October 2008 news report - Two ’93 Graduates Receive GAA’s Distinguished Young Alumni Awards
October 2007 news report - Global Visionaries: GAA Honors Two Alumni Who Make a Difference
October 2006 news report - GAA Honors ESPN Anchor, Principal and Teacher
October 2005 news report - Three Win Distinguished Young Alumni Award
October 2004 news report
