ATLANTA, Ga. – Former University of South Florida men’s soccer standout Zak Boggs has been named the recipient of the 2010 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup Award. The award was presented on Jan. 19 by the Athletes for a Better World (ABW) at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga.
The Wooden Cup is given to a collegiate and a professional athlete who have made the greatest positive influence in the lives of others. Boggs was joined at the awards banquet by: Colt McCoy (University of Texas, football), Brianna O'Donnell (University of North Carolina, field hockey), Rebecca Poskin (Dartmouth College, soccer) and Melissa Schnellberg (Harvard University, softball).
“Tonight was just an amazing night,” said Boggs. “Just being mentioned with the other finalists was a tremendous honor, and to be the recipient of such a prestigious award from a great organization like Athletes for a Better World is very humbling. I just have to thank my head coach George Kiefer, our coaching staff and players, (Assistant Director of Athletics) Justin Miller and everyone in academics, and people in the athletics department and across campus that helped me realize my dreams. I am truly honored.”
“Going to tonight’s awards ceremony was one of the more touching experiences of my coaching career,” said USF head coach George Kiefer. “To see the presentations on all the finalists, and to see what they have done not just on the field, but more importantly off the field for other people, was wonderful. And to have Zak be the recipient of this award, I just can’t express how happy I am that he had the opportunity to be recognized like this.”
Boggs has proven to be the epitome of the term student athlete. A senior forward from Vienna, W.Va., Boggs finished his undergraduate career at USF early with a degree in Biomedical Sciences in May of 2009, boasting a perfect 4.0 grade point average (GPA) while earning 136 credit hours. He is currently working on his graduate degree in Economics and Marketing.
Boggs has also been recruited to USF's MBA program as the first exception to a standard two-year work experience requirement. With a career grade GPA of 4.0, Boggs became the first USF soccer player to be awarded the prestigious BIG EAST Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the year since 2005, doing so at the end of the 2008-09 academic year. Additionally, he was named to ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American Team and All-District Team. Boggs was named to the Lowes Senior CLASS Award All-Senior All America First Team.
Boggs excels not only in the classroom but off the field as well. Highly active in several community service activities during his free time, Boggs regularly volunteers his time to assist at programs such as the John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota Bay, as well as the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute and the Shriners Hospital for Children, both located at USF. In addition to his rigorous schedule, Boggs also finds time to serve as an academic tutor to his fellow student-athletes at the University of South Florida.
In addition to his high level of competitiveness in the classroom and in soccer, Boggs also takes part in numerous extracurricular activities to challenge that competitive spirit. He is a member of the National Eagle Scout Association, a second degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, the West Virginia State Marble Shooter Champion, a member of the USA Jump Rope Association, and a member of Jump Company USA World Class Jump Rope team. Boggs travels around to several elementary schools where he informs kids about the benefits of jump roping.