Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day

In 2015 former Pioneer Charles Blake was elected to the State House of Representatives in Arkansas, representing District 36 in his hometown of Little Rock.  Charles and I were teammates for one year and I coached him for two seasons.  Always a great talker, when Blake was elected I figured the political arena would be a perfect for him.  Having gotten stuck next to him on a long bus trip to Ripon, WI, I can certainly attest to his willingness to share an opinion and to his abilities in a debate!  Charles enjoyed a fine career at Grinnell, both on the field and off, and has done well in his professional life thus far. 

I’m introducing you to Charles now because today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and for the first time the State of Arkansas will be celebrating only King today.  Since the ‘40’s, Arkansas has observed Robert E Lee Day in mid-January, and they began observing MLK Day as well.  In 1985 the state combined the two holidays, and they have observed them together since.  When Blake was elected as Representative in 2015, one of the first changes he pushed for was separating the two holidays.  It’s been a long battle, and at times he’s faced some serious opposition, but last March Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed legislation that ended the practice of honoring both on the same day.  According to AP reports, Hutchinson said the following, "I expected this debate would divide us, but instead during the debate we listened to each other and the conversation brought us together.  This is an education bill in which the discussion educated each of us, and we learned that history needs to be viewed not just from our own lens, but through the eyes and experiences of others."

I'm sure I'm not doing the story justice, but I'm excited for Blake's victory and for the shifting attitudes that it highlights.  Better days are ahead.  I'm proud to call Charles my teammate and I'm proud of the work he's doing.  We need more Pioneers like him!  Congrats Chuck!

Robbie McCarty Named the Lyle Bauman Service Award Winner

Senior offensive lineman Robbie McCarty has been named the 2017 recipient of the Lyle Bauman Service Award. For those that knew Lyle, his life was the epitome of service. Lyle worked within dining services, but his reach extended much further than that. He built relationships with students from all walks, and in particular with our student athletes. Lyle had a particular soft spot for the football team, and traditionally helped with both the block party and the block party auction. He donated his trailer grill to the football team, in hopes that we’d continue to use it and enjoy the good times with good friends, as he certainly did. We’ve honored Lyle’s memory each year since his passing in the spring of 2013. As this year's recipient, Robbie joins a special group, including teammate Jeff Keele '19.

Coming to Grinnell from Florida, Robbie stepped in and started on the offensive line from day one. Robbie started his first three seasons at center, before moving to right tackle as a senior. He was a steady, consistent presence day in and day out for four years. In 2016 he helped pave the way for the best team rushing total since 2004, and this year he helped running back Carson Dunn to the best individual rushing season since 2004.

Robbie has also spent countless hours working in the Fitness Center and the Training Room, providing valuable assistance to head trainer Sylla Lowther, and he has been a constant supporter of all our athletic teams at Grinnell. It will be tough to have an offensive line without Robbie next year, but his absence will be noticed much beyond the football team. Thank you Robbie!

Hassan Thompson Named Troy Barboza Courage Award Winner

Congratulations to Hassan Thompson for winning the Troy Barboza Courage Award!  Former Pioneer Troy Barboza was enjoying a succesful career in law enforcement when he was involved in a major drug bust as an undercover detective.  Days before he was scheduled to testify for the case, Barboza was murdered inside of his home.  Because of the great display of courage Troy showed during his time at Grinnell, as well as during his time in law enforcement, we have honored his memory with this award each year since 1993.  Notable past winners include Troy Dougherty (All American), Zack Fletcher, Nick Merklin, Tom Brinkman (who were all recognized as all-conference and all pursued a career in coaching and teaching) and Carson Dunn (last year’s winner).

In 2017 Hassan enjoyed his best season yet, recording 61 total tackles, 33 of them solo, 6 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries and a blocked punt.  In week 2 against Trinity, Hassan's blocked punt traveled out of the back of the end zone for our first points of the game, giving us the momentum we needed to eventually come away with the 15-6 win.

Hassan was part of a start-up football program in high school, and was the heart and soul of that team.  He came to Grinnell all the way from New Orleans, relying on his coaches and teammates to help ease the transition, while leaving family behind.  He's grown as a person and as a leader each year, he's since moved his family here to Grinnell, and he's now one of the guys welcoming younger guys and mentoring them through their first weeks and months on campus.  We're incredibly proud of all Hassan has accomplished at Grinnell, and we're anxious to see what he does next year in his senior season.  Congratulations Hassan!