College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America Team

WALTHAM, Mass. – Charles R. (Chuck) Lee, retired chairman and co-CEO of Verizon Communications, has been named the 2008 Dick Enberg Award winner by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Lee will received his award on Monday, June 30 at the Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina in Tampa, Fla., as part of the 20th annual CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame® induction ceremonies.

Established in 1997, the Dick Enberg Award is given annually to a person whose actions and commitment have furthered the meaning and reach of the Academic All-America Teams Program and/or the student-athlete while promoting the values of education and academics.

The award was created in part to recognize Enberg's passion and support of the CoSIDA Academic All-America® program for more than 20 years, as well as his dedication to education for more than four decades.

“At 15, Chuck revealed his entrepreneurial nature, selling his prized steer for a brown Chevy,” said Enberg. “As the President and CEO of GTE and Verizon, he showed his ability to manage high finance, leading his company to multi-billion dollar heights. Throughout his career, Chuck Lee managed his team with the efficiency of a Super Bowl winning coach, all the while recognizing opportunities to make life better for others.

“I am delighted that my friend, Chuck Lee, has accepted the 2008 Dick Enberg Award. He was highly instrumental in the development, promotion and support of the Academic All-America program and its Hall of Fame,” concluded Enberg.

Lee joined GTE in 1983, and served time as senior vice president-finance and senior vice president-finance and planning, before being promoted to president, chief operating officer and a director of GTE Corporation in December 1988. He became chairman and chief executive officer-elect in December 1991, and chairman and CEO about six months later.

Lee remained in that position until GTE merged with Bell Atlantic in 2000 to form Verizon. He served as Chairman of the Board and co-CEO of the new company before retiring in 2003.

Lee’s professional career has also included time with Columbia Pictures, Penn Central Corporation and United States Steel. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., he received a bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering from Cornell University in 1962 and a master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1964.

“Chuck Lee's impact on the growth and visibility of the Academic All-America program and its Hall of Fame can not be overstated,” said John Humenik, CoSIDA’s Executive Director. “We in CoSIDA, as well as the Academic All-America program community at-large, were so blessed to have a man in his position of authority and responsibility be so personally and passionately involved to the commitment to the core values, mission and advancement of the program.

“Chuck's personal footprint on the program is a huge one and we are most grateful that we will have the opportunity in Tampa to thank him for his exceptional leadership on behalf of the Academic All-America program,” concluded Humenik, a past recipient of the Enberg Award.

CoSIDA President Charles Bloom echoed Humenik’s comments. “Chuck Lee is certainly deserving of this award. His commitment to and belief in the Academic All-America program was instrumental in the significant growth that the nation's premier scholar-athlete awards program enjoyed during the period of GTE's and Verizon's sponsorship," said Bloom.

Among the previous recipients of the Enberg Award have been President Gerald R. Ford, Bill Russell, Alan Page and legendary coaches Dean Smith, Tom Osborne and Pat Summitt.

In addition to recognizing Lee, CoSIDA will induct five new members into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame Sunday: former Olympic swimmer Nancy Hogshead-Makar (Duke), Citadel football standout and long-time team physician Kenny Caldwell, and a trio of former women’s basketball players who combined for more than 6,000 career points: Karen Jennings (Nebraska), Rebecca Lobo (UConn) and Amy Privette Perko (Wake Forest).

DICK ENBERG AWARD WINNERS
2008 Charles R. Lee
2007 Pat Summitt
2006 Pres. Gerald R. Ford
2005 Father Theodore Hesburgh
2004 Ted Leland
2003 Tom Osborne
2002 Alan Page
2001 Donna Shalala
2000 Bill Russell
1999 Dean Smith
1998 John Humenik
1997 Dick Enberg