College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America Team

Related stories
• About the Dick Enberg Award
• Learn more about the life of Billie Jean King at billiejeanking.com

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Tennis Legend Billie Jean King to Receive the CoSIDA 2021 Dick Enberg Award

Billie Jean King, one of the most important athletes in history has been awarded the 2021 Dick Enberg Award, presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). King’s prowess on the tennis court would have been enough to earn her accolades, but her work as a champion for equality has cemented her status as one of the most impactful people in sports.

The Dick Enberg Award is presented by CoSIDA annually to an individual who has distinguished themselves nationally through career achievements and meaningful contributions to society while promoting the values of education and academics.

“We congratulate trailblazer Billie Jean King, this year’s winner of the prestigious Dick Enberg Award,” noted Sam Atkinson, associate athletic director for communications at Gallaudet University and the 2020-21 CoSIDA president. “Her tireless advocacy for equality is the blueprint for affecting change in society.”

King will be recognized, along with the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame Class of 2021, in a ceremony Wednesday, June 9, during CoSIDA’s virtual convention. The event will air at 7 PM (ET).
 

The Academic All-America Hall of Fame Class of 2021 includes:

• Nicki Pesik, McDaniel College, Softball and Volleyball
• Myron Rolle, Florida State University, Football
• Ann (Woods) Smith, University of Florida, Women’s Gymnastics
• Adam Vinatieri, South Dakota State University, Football

King attended California State University, Los Angeles and created one of the most successful athletic careers in any sport. The list of accomplishments and “firsts” for King is astounding and only partially covered here:

• Two-time Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year selection
• First female athlete in any sport to earn more than $100,000 in prize money in a single season ($117,000 in 1971)
• First woman to be chosen Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsperson of the Year”
• Founded the Women’s Tennis Association, the Women’s Sports Foundation and the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative
• Defeated Bobby Riggs in one of the most important moments in sports history, the Battle of the Sexes
• Named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by LIFE magazine
• Named one of the Greatest Athletes of the Century by Sports Illustrated
• Recipient of the 1999 Arthur Ashe Courage Award for her conviction as a risk-taker and for lobbying for equality
• Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, on August 12, 2009. The first female athlete to be honored with the Medal of Freedom, King was presented the award by President Barack Obama in ceremonies at The White House.
• Recipient of the NCAA Gerald R. Ford Award

King’s fight for equality has been a life-long endeavor. She was one of nine players who broke away from the tennis establishment and accepted $1 contracts from tennis promoter Gladys Heldman. This revolt led to the birth of women’s professional tennis and the formation of the Virginia Slims Tour and Women’s Tennis Association. She successfully lobbied for equal prize money for men and women at the US Open.
 

In 2006, the National Tennis Center, home of the US Open, was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in honor of her contributions to tennis, sports, and society both on and off the court. She was the first woman to have a major sports venue named in her honor.

King is the 25th Enberg Award recipient, which was introduced in 1997.

The CoSIDA Convention, held each year in conjunction with the annual National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and Affiliates Convention, transitioned to a virtual format for 2020 and 2021 due to the global health pandemic.

 

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Previous Dick Enberg Award Recipients
 

2020   Amy Privette Perko, Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
2019   Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech
2018   Bill Walton, UCLA/NBA Hall of Famer
2017   Dr. Robert Khayat, Former Chancellor, University of Mississippi
2016   Roger Staubach, United States Naval Academy/Pro Football Hall of Famer, Dallas Cowboys
2015   Andre Agassi, International Tennis Hall of Famer
2014   Ann Meyers Drysdale, Basketball Hall of Famer, UCLA/Vice President, Phoenix Mercury & Suns
2013   Mike Krzyzewski, Head Men's Basketball Coach, Duke University
2012   Joe Paterno, Head Football Coach Emeritus, Penn State University
2011   Jackie Joyner-Kersee, UCLA, United States Olympian
2010   Tom Hansen, Commissioner Emeritus, Pac-10 Conference
2009   Steve Smith, Former Basketball Standout, Michigan State & NBA
2008   Chuck Lee, CEO Emeritus, GTE Corporation
2007   Pat Summit, Head Women's Basketball Coach Emeritus, University of Tennessee
2006   Gerald R. Ford, Former U.S. President
2005   Father Theodore Hesburgh, President Emeritus, University of Notre Dame
2004   Dr. Ted Leland, Director of Athletics Emeritus, Stanford University
2003   Dr. Tom Osborne, Director of Athletics/Head Football Coach Emeritus, University of Nebraska
2002   Judge Alan Page, Associate Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court
2001   Dr. Donna Shalala, President, Clinton Foundations; former President, University of Miami/Former U.S. Secretary of Education
2000   Bill Russell, Basketball Hall of Famer, University of San Francisco/Boston Celtics
1999   Dean Smith, Head Men's Basketball Coach Emeritus, University of North Carolina
1998   John Humenik, Former CoSIDA Executive Director, University of Florida/CoSIDA Board
1997   Dick Enberg, Hall of Fame Broadcaster/National Baseball Hall of Fame Ford C. Frick Award