CSC Selects Warrick Dunn as 2024 Dick Enberg Award Recipient

Dunn will be in attendance at the #CSCUnite24 convention to accept his award during the CSC All-Star Night of Honors, presented by ESPN

by Beau White – College Sports Communicators

223 and counting.

That’s the number of homes Warrick Dunn Charities has furnished for single parent families through Dunn’s flagship program, Homes for the Holidays, since 1997.

Warrick Dunn, the Florida State Seminoles football legend, NFL star, and College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 honoree, is the 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Dick Enberg Award winner.

The 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.

“I am always grateful to be recognized for the work we do because it honors the life my mother lived — for me and my siblings and for the public she served.” Dunn said. “Thank you for helping me shine the light on the issue of housing in America and specifically the need for affordable housing for everyday people trying to live a decent fulfilling life. More than anything besides doing for her kids, my mom dreamed of owning her own home and that never happened. My foundation and the growth we have experienced is because others have cared enough about her, and about our family to help. I appreciate that confidence and I appreciate this recognition.”

Warrick Dunn, a Freshman All-American in 1993 while helping Florida State win its first national championship, earned first-team All-America honors in 1996 as FSU played for another national title. He appeared in 41 games and rushed 575 times for 3,959 yards and 37 touchdowns while adding 132 receptions for 1,314 yards and 12 touchdowns.

During his time in college, Dunn would become a three-time first-team All-ACC performer, the first back in the school’s history to record three 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He finished as the Seminoles’ career leader in rushing yards, gaining 3,959 to surpass Greg Allen’s 3,769 (1981-84), and he graduated on time in 1997 with a degree in Information Studies.

Continuing to defy the odds, Dunn was drafted in the first round (12th pick overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 1997 he was named NFL Rookie of the Year by Football News, Pro Football Weekly and Sports Illustrated, and designated Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press, Football Digest and College and Pro Football Newsweekly. Warrick would go on to play five seasons with the Buccaneers, six seasons with the Falcons, and then one final year with the Buccaneers. He retired from the NFL 14th all-time in all-purpose yards with 15,306 and 19th in rushing yards with 10,967.

Warrick Dunn was selected 12th overall in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and spent 12 seasons in the NFL for the Bucs and the Atlanta Falcons.

During his tenure as a Falcons running back, Dunn’s curiosity and interests off the field helped him develop a close relationship with Falcons owner Arthur Blank. In December 2009, that relationship helped Dunn realize a long-time goal of expanding his knowledge and experience in the area of NFL team management, branding, and operations by being unanimously approved by NFL owners to become a limited partner of the Atlanta Falcons. The purchase of his minority ownership position in the club was completed in March 2010.

In addition to his impressive on-field accomplishments and resume, Dunn is perhaps best known for his involvement in philanthropy. As a rookie for Tampa Bay, he founded the Homes for the Holidays program to fulfill his mother’s dream of home ownership for single parent families. The program partners with local organizations to turn houses into homes for single parent families through home furnishings and down-payment assistance. Since its inception, Homes for the Holidays has furnished 223 homes, provided over $1,070,000 in down-payment assistance, and served over 578 dependents.

The impact of Homes for the Holidays inspired Warrick to expand into three additional programs: Count on Your Future, Sculpt, and Hearts for Community Service Scholarships, all housed today under the Warrick Dunn Charities umbrella. Together, the four programs are dedicated to strengthening and transforming communities by combating poverty, hunger, and improving the quality of lives for families academically, socially, and economically.

Warrick Dunn established his Homes for the Holidays program in 1997, which serves as the flagship program at Warrick Dunn Charities. That initiative has provided single-parent families with home furnishing and down-payment assistance on new homes. The program has helped 223 families reach the dream of home ownership.

“With his strong commitment to education and helping others, Warrick Dunn truly embodies the values of the Dick Enberg Award,” said CSC Executive Director Erik Christianson. “He has leveraged his own personal challenges and professional success beyond his playing days to greatly assist those truly in need, and it is our privilege to honor him and his achievements.”

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 9-12 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. All #CSCUnite24 convention attendees can attend the CSC All-Star Night of Honors, presented by ESPN, on Monday, June 10 with their convention badge. Those without a #CSCUnite24 convention badge may purchase tickets to the event at CollegeSportsCommunicators.com/tickets.

Dunn becomes the 28th individual to receive the CSC Dick Enberg Award. Enberg was a loyal supporter of CSC and served as the official spokesperson for the Academic All-America program from 1986 until his passing in 2017. 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.

Gallery: (4-30-2024) Warrick Dunn 2024 Dick Enberg Award

Previous Dick Enberg Award Recipients

• 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