The Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation and the Vince Lombardi Award of Excellence Dinner Ball Planning Committee are proud to announce the 2012 Lombardi Award of Excellence distinguished honoree | Mr. David Robinson.

David Maurice Robinson was born in Key West, Florida, on August 6, 1965. He and his wife, Valerie, have three sons, David Jr., Corey and Justin.

Known by National Basketball Association fans as “The Admiral,” David is 7'1" and weighs 250 pounds. He wears a size 17 shoe. A scholar as well as a great athlete, Robinson scored a 1320 on the SAT College Board Exam and holds a B.A. in Mathematics from the United States Naval Academy.

Driven by an intense Christian faith and strong sense of duty, in 1992 David and Valerie created the David Robinson Foundation. Since its inception, more than $2 million has been awarded to community programs that meet the physical and spiritual needs of families, primarily in the Robinsons’ adopted hometown of San Antonio.

The Foundation’s most significant accomplishment to date is the opening of The Carver Academy just east of downtown San Antonio on September 17, 2001. Considered the single largest gift ever made by a professional athlete, the Robinsons donated more than $9 million to create the project benefiting many low-income, at-risk students. The school offers elementary-age children a challenging academic program featuring small classes, leadership opportunities and a nurturing family-like environment based on Judeo-Christian scripture. Named for African-American botanist, social advocate and educator George Washington Carver, Robinson’s hope for the school is that Carver graduates return and reinvest in the community. The Academy represents the Robinson family’s interest in education as well as their legacy to San Antonio’s children.

Robinson began his incredible athletic career after just one year of high school basketball at Osbourn Park in Manassas, Virginia, before attending the Naval Academy. He was an All-American in both his junior and senior seasons and was everyone’s choice for College Player of the Year. He was the first player in NCAA Division I history to finish his college career shooting over .600 percent from the field for more than 2,500 points and 1,314 rebounds, averaging 10.3 rebounds per game.

Robinson was selected as the number one NBA draft pick in 1987 by the San Antonio Spurs, but did not play until competing his two-year military commitment to the Navy. In 1989-90, his first season with the Spurs, Robinson earned unanimous Rookie of the Year honors. The two-time NBA World Champion (1999 and 2003) Robinson retired in 2003 from the Spurs after 14 memorable years at the age of 37. However, he led an outstanding career with tremendous accomplishments on and off the court.

Career highlights:

• 2009 Inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame as a Team Member of the 1992 Dream Team
• 2008 Inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame as an Individual Olympic Athlete
• 2008 Inductee Basketball Hall of Fame
• 2008 Manny Jackson Basketball Human Spirit Award
• 2008 Humanitarian Award from the National Jewish Medical and Research Center
• 2007 Recipient of the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award presented by the Memphis Grizzlies, National Civil Rights Museum, City of Memphis and Shelby County 
• 2004 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree bestowed by Texas Lutheran University
• 2004 William E. Simon Foundation Prize in Philanthropic Leadership
• 2004 Coach Wooden “Keys to Life” Award
• 2004 Texan of The Year Award by the 38th Annual Texas Legislative Conference
• 2004 Special Edition Wheaties Salutes “The Admiral” – Black History Month Commemorative
• 2003 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award with Tim Duncan
• 2003 NBA’s community service award renamed David Robinson Community Assist Award
• 2003 Awarded the Ralph David Abernathy Community Service Award by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (founding president, Martin Luther King, Jr.)
• 2003 NBA World Champion
• 2000 Patriot Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society
• 2001-01 NBA Sportsmanship Award
• 1999 NBA World Champion
• 1999 Montblanc de la Culture Award (First athlete and youngest recipient in the award’s history) 
• Member of both the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame
• 1999 Sporting News Good Guys in Pro Sports Award
• 1998 Inductee World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame
• 1996 Named on the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players of All-Time
• 1995 NBA MVP
• 1994 NBA Scoring Title
• 1992 NBA Defensive Player of the Year
• 1992 NBA Blocked Shot of the Year
• 1991 NBA Rebounding Title
• 1990 NBA Rookie of the Year
• 1987 NBA Number One Draft Pick by the San Antonio Spurs (Joined team after two-year military commitment to the Navy)
• Winner of the IBM Award five times: 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995 and 1996
• All-NBA First Team four times: 1991, 1992, 1995 and 1996
• All-NBA Second Team twice: 1994 and 1998
• All-NBA Third Team four times: 1990, 1993, 2000 and 2001
• NBA All-Defensive First Team four times: 1991, 1992, 1995 and 1996
• All-Defensive Second Team four times: 1990, 1993, 1994 and 1998
• Only player in NBA history to be named to both an All-NBA Team and an NBA All-Defensive team in each of his first seven NBA seasons
• 10-time NBA All-Star
• Named NBA Player of the Week 15 times; NBA Player of the Month four times
• Only male basketball player in U.S. history to appear in three different Olympic Games; was the leading scorer on the 1996 Team which captured gold in Atlanta, was a member of the 1992 Team that won the gold in Barcelona and the 1988 Team that won the Bronze in Seoul.
• 1987 Pan American Team and the 1986 USA World Championship Team

Current Boards, as of January 1, 2008 until present: 

• Carver Academy, Chairman, San Antonio, Texas
• U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, Board Member, Annapolis, MarylandSpurs
• Sports & Entertainment, Board Member, San Antonio, Texas

Past Boards:

• USAA Federal Savings Bank, Board Member (10 years), San Antonio, Texas
   

Having captured the spirit of commitment and pursuit of excellence - standards which define the legendary coach Vince Lombardi and the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation – we graciously acknowledge those who have been recipients of the prestigious Vince Lombardi Award of Excellence. 

2011 | Green Bay Packers Super Bowl Championship Teams – I, II, XXXI and XLV. Presented to Coach Mike McCarthy, Charles Woodson, Ryan Grant, Nick Collins, Tramon Williams, Chris Jacke, Frank Winters, George Koonce, Santana Dotson, Jerry Kramer, Bart Starr, David Robinson and Willie Davis
2010 | Mike Ditka
2009 | Roger Staubach
2008 | Willie Davis
2007 | Mario Andretti
2006 | Mia Hamm
2005 | Cal Ripiken, Jr.
2004 | Mark Johnson
2003 | Peggy Fleming
2002 | Hank Aaron
2001 | Jack Nicklaus
2000 | John Wooden
1999 | Don Shula
1998 | Eddie Robinson
1997 | Bart Starr
1996 | General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
1995 | Dan Jansen
1994 | Jane and Lloyd Pettit
1993 | President George H. W. Bush
1992 | Bob Hope
1991 | Pete Rozelle