Higgins and Willis Earn Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Awards
6/5/2019 3:21:00 PM | Football, General, Field Hockey
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Big Ten announced on Wednesday the 28 honorees named Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2018-19 academic year. Bailey Higgins of the field hockey team and Khari Willis of the football team were selected as Michigan State's honorees.
One member of each varsity sports team on every campus was chosen by his or her institution as a Sportsmanship Award honoree, and two Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners were then selected from each institution. All of the Sportsmanship Award winners have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, these honorees must be in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
Higgins, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, was a four-year letter winner (2015-2018) for the Spartans and appeared in 76 career games alongside 65 starts on the Spartan backline. Named a captain prior to the 2018 season, Higgins scored the first goal of her career against the University of Louisville on October 7, 2018. Higgins was named to the 2018 Zag Field Hockey/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I National Academic Squad following her senior campaign.
At the 2018-19 Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) Academic Excellence Gala, Higgins earned the Gwendolyn Norrell Community Service and Leadership Award for her commitment to helping others. The Gwendolyn Norrell Award is presented to the student-athlete who demonstrates the highest level of commitment to impacting areas of leadership and community service.
Over the course of her career, Higgins has been a true humanitarian and leader at Michigan State by impacting communities in East Lansing and beyond. Through her positions as the Field Hockey Team Captain, SAAC President, MSU Athletic Council Member, Athletic Director Leadership Group Member, and Big Ten SAAC Representative, Higgins has been a voice for student-athletes at every level.
Higgins' passion to serve others is evident through her active involvement and leadership in the community. She serves as lead organizer for the St. Baldrick's Fundraiser for Children's Cancer, student-coordinator of the Be the Match Bone Marrow Registration Drive, campus ambassador for Love Your Melon, and participates in numerous outreach activities including volunteering in the Pediatric Ward at Sparrow Hospital, March is Reading Month, and spearheading the Student Athlete Food Drive and Teams for Toys initiative.
A native of Jackson, Michigan, Willis was a four-year letterwinner (2015-18) for the Spartans who played in 46 career games, including 30 starting assignments at safety. He ended his career with 26 straight starts at safety in 2017 and 2018 and was voted a team captain as a senior. Willis recorded 196 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks, along with four interceptions and 16 pass break-ups in his career.
Willis had a career year in 2018 – both on and off the field. A second-team All-Big Ten selection by Pro Football Focus and third-team pick by the media and Athlon Sports, he recorded a career-high 84 tackles, 10 pass break-ups and two interceptions for the Spartans as a senior, including a career-high 15 stops against Ohio State. He was selected in the fourth round (No. 109 overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Willis graduated with a bachelor's degree in December 2018 as an interdisciplinary studies in social science major, with an emphasis on community governance & advocacy. He was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded annually by the National Football Foundation to the nation's top scholar-athlete, and was also one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award.
Willis took the national stage last summer, serving as the keynote player speaker at the 2018 Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon in Chicago, and delivered an inspirational speech calling on his fellow Big Ten players to make a difference in their communities. He received a standing ovation and video of his speech went viral across social media (158,000 views on Twitter; 98,000 views on Facebook; nearly 10,000 on YouTube). He was selected a candidate for the Wuerffel Trophy, presented annually to the player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement, and was MSU's nominee for the Allstate/AFCA Good Works Team.
All of the 2019 Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners are available at bigten.org.
One member of each varsity sports team on every campus was chosen by his or her institution as a Sportsmanship Award honoree, and two Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners were then selected from each institution. All of the Sportsmanship Award winners have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, these honorees must be in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
Higgins, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, was a four-year letter winner (2015-2018) for the Spartans and appeared in 76 career games alongside 65 starts on the Spartan backline. Named a captain prior to the 2018 season, Higgins scored the first goal of her career against the University of Louisville on October 7, 2018. Higgins was named to the 2018 Zag Field Hockey/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I National Academic Squad following her senior campaign.
At the 2018-19 Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) Academic Excellence Gala, Higgins earned the Gwendolyn Norrell Community Service and Leadership Award for her commitment to helping others. The Gwendolyn Norrell Award is presented to the student-athlete who demonstrates the highest level of commitment to impacting areas of leadership and community service.
Over the course of her career, Higgins has been a true humanitarian and leader at Michigan State by impacting communities in East Lansing and beyond. Through her positions as the Field Hockey Team Captain, SAAC President, MSU Athletic Council Member, Athletic Director Leadership Group Member, and Big Ten SAAC Representative, Higgins has been a voice for student-athletes at every level.
Higgins' passion to serve others is evident through her active involvement and leadership in the community. She serves as lead organizer for the St. Baldrick's Fundraiser for Children's Cancer, student-coordinator of the Be the Match Bone Marrow Registration Drive, campus ambassador for Love Your Melon, and participates in numerous outreach activities including volunteering in the Pediatric Ward at Sparrow Hospital, March is Reading Month, and spearheading the Student Athlete Food Drive and Teams for Toys initiative.
A native of Jackson, Michigan, Willis was a four-year letterwinner (2015-18) for the Spartans who played in 46 career games, including 30 starting assignments at safety. He ended his career with 26 straight starts at safety in 2017 and 2018 and was voted a team captain as a senior. Willis recorded 196 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks, along with four interceptions and 16 pass break-ups in his career.
Willis had a career year in 2018 – both on and off the field. A second-team All-Big Ten selection by Pro Football Focus and third-team pick by the media and Athlon Sports, he recorded a career-high 84 tackles, 10 pass break-ups and two interceptions for the Spartans as a senior, including a career-high 15 stops against Ohio State. He was selected in the fourth round (No. 109 overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Willis graduated with a bachelor's degree in December 2018 as an interdisciplinary studies in social science major, with an emphasis on community governance & advocacy. He was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded annually by the National Football Foundation to the nation's top scholar-athlete, and was also one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award.
Willis took the national stage last summer, serving as the keynote player speaker at the 2018 Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon in Chicago, and delivered an inspirational speech calling on his fellow Big Ten players to make a difference in their communities. He received a standing ovation and video of his speech went viral across social media (158,000 views on Twitter; 98,000 views on Facebook; nearly 10,000 on YouTube). He was selected a candidate for the Wuerffel Trophy, presented annually to the player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement, and was MSU's nominee for the Allstate/AFCA Good Works Team.
All of the 2019 Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners are available at bigten.org.
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