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• About the Dick Enberg Award
• Past Dick Enberg Award recipients
CSC selects Ruth Riley Hunter as 2025 Dick Enberg Award recipient
Ruth Riley Hunter, current Miami HEAT executive, former WNBA and Notre Dame basketball great, award-winning humanitarian and civic leader, is the 2025 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Dick Enberg Award winner. Riley will be in attendance at the #CSCUnite25 convention to accept her award during the June 9th CSC All-Star Night of Honors, presented by ESPN.
by Barb Kowal, College Sports Communicators Director of Operations and Professional Development
“It is truly an honor to be named this year’s recipient of the Dick Enberg Award by the College Sports Communicators. I am deeply humbled to receive an award named after such a great man who, prior to his passing, was a tremendous ambassador for the Academic All-America® program and education. I remember when Dick called me 12 years ago to congratulate me on being inducted into the Academic All-American Hall of Fame. He was a legendary figure in the sports world, and his legacy is one that continues to leave a lasting positive impact.
The game of basketball has blessed my life beyond measure. It has always been my desire to use the platform of sport in a positive and meaningful way. Being named the Dick Enberg Award winner is special because it recognizes more than my play on the court. It also captures my life’s lifelong love of learning and my passion for serving and impacting others.”
- Ruth Riley Hunter, Miami HEAT Senior Director of Team Development/CSC Academic All-America Hall of Fame member
Legendary college women’s basketball scholar-athlete and 2001 NCAA national champion. A 2004 Olympic gold medalist. Global humanitarian and basketball ambassador. Professional sports business leader. WNBA standout and two-time champion. CSC Academic All-America Hall of Famer. Enshrined in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Basketball broadcaster. A legacy of leadership.
That is a short summation of the illustrious career of Ruth Riley Hunter, former University of Notre Dame women’s basketball star and current Senior Director of Team Development for the NBA’s Miami HEAT. For all her contributions to college athletics and for her work in humanitarian and educational efforts, Hunter is the 2025 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Dick Enberg Award recipient.
The CSC Dick Enberg Award is presented annually to an individual who has distinguished themselves nationally through their career achievement and meaningful contributions to society while promoting the values of education and academics. Recognized as one of the most prestigious CSC honors, the award is given in recognition of Enberg’s passion and support of the Academic All-America® program for more than 30 years and his dedication to education for more than four decades, until his passing in 2017.
Hunter will be in attendance at the 2025 CSC Unite Convention to accept her award during the CSC All-Star Night of Honors, presented by ESPN on Monday, June 9. On Tuesday, June 10, she will take part in a featured “Conversation With Dick Enberg Award Recipient Ruth Riley Hunter” for convention attendees, with ESPN’s Holly Rowe hosting that talk.
“As we considered many worthy candidates for this year’s Dick Enberg Award, Ruth Riley Hunter quickly rose to the top of that list,” noted Kevin Trainor, University of Arkansas Senior Associate Director of Athletics and 2024-25 CSC President. “Ruth personifies what it means to be a student-athlete, achieving at the highest level on the court and in the classroom, including winning both the player of the year and the CSC Academic All-American of the Year honors while at Notre Dame.
Her continued commitment to basketball, education and her investment in humanitarian and educational efforts and in the next generation of students is inspiring. We look forward to honoring Ruth for her many extraordinary achievements this summer in Orlando.”
Being interviewed by ESPN’s Rece Davis, host of the Academic All-America Hall of Fame
induction ceremony for many years, when Riley was inducted in 2012
during the CSC (then CoSIDA) St. Louis convention.
Following an illustrious scholar-athlete playing career where she earned national player of the year honors at Notre Dame and All-WBNA honors as a 13-year league standout, Hunter was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
In 2012, Hunter was inducted into the CSC (then CoSIDA) Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
Now in her seventh season as a member of the Miami HEAT organization and third year as Senior Director of Team Development, Hunter collaborates with the HEAT player programs department and basketball operations staff on continued development and implementation of the Player Programs’ initiatives. She also works with the HEAT basketball analytics team to enhance statistical and analytics-driven analysis for coaches, scouts and the basketball operations staff.
Among her international and national humanitarian work, Hunter was an NBA/WNBA Cares Ambassador and a spokesperson for the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign, which strives to prevent malaria in Africa. Hunter also co-founded “Inspire Transformation,” an organization focused on creating community-based programs to support and sustain women and children and be a catalyst for positive social change. She served on the national council for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign (to eradicate childhood hunger in the United States). She previously served on the board for Hunger Free America.
Hunter was the first Vice President of the WNBA Player’s Association, holding that position for nine years (2005-13). A NBA/WNBA Ambassador spokesperson from 2013-18, Hunter also served as the Global Director of the NBA Academy Women’s Program in 2018, scouting and conducting international camps while identifying the roadblocks impeding international prospects and helping build a path for these prospects to become domestic student athletes. Additionally, Hunter assisted with the creation and supervision of the first summer study abroad program for Notre Dame student-athletes, which took them to South Africa in 2015.
Hunter originally joined the HEAT as a member of their broadcast team, the first woman in that role. That followed her time as general manager for the WNBA’s San Antonio Stars from May 2016 until the team's sale and relocation to Las Vegas in the 2017–18 off-season. While with the San Antonio franchise, she also served as a TV analyst for FOX Sports Southwest’s coverage of the NBA G League's Austin Spurs. From 2002-18, Hunt served as a radio and television analyst for the Notre Dame women’s basketball program.
Riley Hunter was instrumental as a spokesperson for organizations such as
Share Our Strength and the United Nations Foundation.
She was appointed by President George W. Bush to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 2009. Hunter is the author of a children’s book, The Spirit of Basketball, which was published in 2005.
In 2014, she was selected one of the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World Honoree. She followed this in 2015 with the Notre Dame Monogram Club’s highest honor, the Edward “Moose” Krause Distinguished Service Award, for her numerous service endeavors around the world.
“Congratulations to Ruth Riley Hunter on joining a very impressive group of recipients of the Dick Enberg Award, dating back to 1997. She authored a storied career on the hardwood and has had just as big of an impact during her post playing career,” said CSC Executive Director Jason Yaman. “We look forward to having her join us at CSC Unite in June for her award recognition and where I know her public sit-down conversation with Holly Rowe will be one of the most anticipated sessions of the convention.”
At Notre Dame, Riley Hunter was a two-time First Team All-American and two-time First Team Academic All-American. She led the Fighting Irish to their first NCAA women’s basketball national title in 2001 as a senior, scoring the final four crucial points in a 68-66 victory over in-state rival Purdue en route to being named Final Four MVP. As a senior, Hunter earned the Naismith Award as the nation’s top player and was the Big East Conference Player of the Year. She became the top scholar-athlete among all Division I student-athletes across all sports when she was named CSC’s (formerly CoSIDA) 2000-01 University Division Academic All-America® of the Year after earning Academic All-America of the Year honors for women’s basketball.
Hunter closed out her career with 2,072 points and a school record 1,007 rebounds, 370 blocked shots and a .632 field goal percentage.
She was selected by the Miami Sol with the fifth overall pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft. After two seasons in Miami, Hunter returned to the Midwest as a member of the Detroit Shock. Her outstanding 13-year playing career included winning two WNBA titles with Detroit in 2003 (when she was named Finals MVP, becoming the first player to win Finals MVP in both the NCAA and WNBA) and in 2006. In her 13-year WNBA career, she also played for Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream and San Antonio Stars. She was a 2005 WNBA All-Star selection and the WNBA’s 2011 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award honoree. She also played internationally in the Spanish League, the Polish League and the Greek League, helping Athinaikos in the latter association capture its first EuroCup Women’s Basketball title.
While playing in the WNBA, Hunter earned an Olympic gold medal as a member of the undefeated 2004 United States women’s basketball team.
Ruth Riley Hunter has left her mark – and established a legacy – in the game of college
and professional basketball and in her international social and civic contributions over the years.
Along with her All-America, National Player of the Year, All-WBA and Academic All-America honors,
she also was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
Hunter retired from the sport in June of 2014.
Graduating summa cum laude with a degree in psychology in 2001, she then earned a Master of Business Administration degree through Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business Executive MBA program in 2016.
She currently resides in South Florida with her husband, fellow Notre Dame graduate and football student-athlete Benjamin, and their son, Theo.
Hunter becomes the 29th individual to receive the CSC Dick Enberg Award. The award given in Enberg’s name is considered as the most prestigious award CSC gives to an individual outside the membership. The Enberg family continues to support the selection.
The CSC Unite Convention is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and Affiliates Convention. This year’s convention will be held June 8-11 at the Orlando World Center Marriott. All #CSCUnite25 convention attendees can attend the CSC All-Star Night of Honors, presented by ESPN, on Monday, June 9 with their convention badge. Those without a #CSCUnite25 convention badge may purchase tickets to the event at CollegeSportsCommunicators.com/tickets.
Gallery: (3-12-2025) Ruth Riley, 2025 Dick Enberg Award
Previous Dick Enberg Award Recipients
Dick Enberg
2024 Warrick Dunn, Florida State University / Warrick Dunn Charities
2023 Tamika Catchings, University of Tennessee / Catch the Stars Foundation
2022 Patricia Melton, Yale University / New Haven Promise
2021 Billie Jean King, Cal State LA/Tennis and Women's Rights Icon
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
