HOUSTON, Sept. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
Legendary Wisconsin football coach
Barry Alvarez is the 2017 Paul
"Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Alvarez, the
Badgers' coach for 16 years and the university's current athletic
director, will receive the American Heart Association's award
presented by Marathon Oil Corporation at the 31st annual
presentation on Jan. 11, 2017, in
Houston.
Alvarez revitalized the Badgers' football enthusiasm during his
coaching tenure from 1990-2005 and is by far the winningest coach
in Wisconsin football history
(119-74-4 record). When he was hired in 1990, Wisconsin was a meager 9-36 in the previous four
seasons, but Alvarez propelled the Badgers to 12 bowl appearances,
including three Rose Bowl titles and a stunning Capital One Bowl
upset over Auburn to close his career
on the sideline in 2005.
He is the only Big Ten coach ever to win the Rose Bowl in
consecutive seasons and just the 10th coach in
conference history with 100 victories at one school.
"As last year's recipient of the Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime
Achievement Award, I'm thrilled to extend a warm congratulations to
Wisconsin's Barry Alvarez. There is no doubt he's been a
driving force in the lives of young men on and off the field," said
Mack Brown, 2016 recipient and
current ESPN College Football Analyst.
Alvarez, 69, balanced his head coaching job with an athletic
director role from 2004-05 before turning solely to athletic
director. In September he received a contract extension that will
keep him in the position through January
2021. Wisconsin sports have
won 56 conference titles and 14 national championships in his
13-year tenure.
The Bryant Awards, celebrating 31 years, are named for renowned
Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, who
died of a heart attack in 1983. About 2,200 Americans die each day
from cardiovascular diseases, one every 40 seconds. The event
raises money to fund American Heart Association research, advocacy
and educational programs that are necessary for the prevention and
treatment of heart disease and stroke. The 30th
anniversary event in 2016 raised nearly $1
million, a new record.
The Lifetime Achievement Award highlights a coach who embodied
excellence both on and off the college football field throughout
his career, and past recipients include Mack Brown (2016),
Jimmy Johnson (2015), R.C. Slocum (2014)
and LaVell Edwards (2013).
The Coach of the Year Award recognizes a current college
football coach for an outstanding season and is the only award of
its kind presented after a season's bowl games. It is voted on by
the National Sports Media Association (formerly known as
National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association) and has
honored many of the game's all-time greats, including Clemson's Dabo
Swinney in 2016. Finalists for the 2017 award will be
announced later this year and will join Alvarez at January's
event.
Marathon Oil Corporation has served as the presenting sponsor of
the Bryant Awards for the past eight years, underscoring the
company's commitment to health and wellness and supporting
initiatives that promote the wellbeing of workers and their
families both on and off the job. The company also values the
communities in which its employees live and work and strives to
partner with local community leaders to recognize and advance
important public health initiatives that promote the common good
and protect the public.
For more information on the Bryant Awards, or to purchase
tickets, visit www.bryantawards.com or call 832-918-4030. Find us
on social media at www.facebook.com/bryantawards and hashtag
#bryantawards.
About American Heart Association
The American Heart
Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and
stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We
team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight
for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools
and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The
Dallas-based association is the
nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to
fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get
involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call
any of our offices around the country.
About Marathon Oil Corporation
Marathon Oil
Corporation (NYSE: MRO) is a global exploration and production
company. Based in Houston, Texas,
the Company had net proved reserves at the end of 2015 of 2.2
billion barrels of oil equivalent in North
America, Europe and Africa. For more information,
please visit the Company's website
at http://www.marathonoil.com.
Media Contacts:
American Heart Association
Suzie Flores, (832) 918-4039,
suzie.flores@heart.org
Shelly Millwee, (832) 918-4035,
shelly.millwee@heart.org
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SOURCE American Heart Association Houston Division