GREENVILLE, N.C. (NCBWA) – David Feaster, who has been chair
of the Dick Howser Trophy committee for more than 25 years, has
been named as the 41st winner of the Wilbur Snypp Award, presented
annually by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
for outstanding contributions to college baseball.
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Feaster |
Feaster, who has been indefatigable in his support and enthusiasm
for college baseball since his days as an undergraduate at the University
of Florida, helped originate the Dick Howser Trophy, along with
the late Bill Bunker and the St. Petersburg (Florida) Area Chamber
of Commerce in 1987, shortly after the passing of the popular Howser,
who starred at shortstop at Florida State and managed the Kansas
City Royals to the 1985 World Series title.
In 1998, he was instrumental in keeping the Dick Howser Trophy
as one of the most representative selection processes in the country
with the addition of the NCBWA as the voting body for the Heisman
Trophy of college baseball.
With the St. Petersburg Area Chamber and the Howser Trophy committee,
he has been able to secure sponsorships with USA Today, Xanthus
Corp. and the Eastons Foundation to assist with logistics and presentations
of the national award annually at Omaha, Nebraska, in conjunction
with the NCAA Division I Baseball World Series.
Coaches, administrators and news media consider him to be of
the biggest national boosters of college baseball, while he also
works countless hours as president of Cornerstone Bank based in
St. Petersburg.
He has worked with the Governor's Dinner to salute baseball and
Major League Baseball spring training in Florida and was on the
original St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, which helped
bring the Big East/Big Ten Conference Baseball Challenge to that
area in 2009.
Feaster, who grew up in the St. Petersburg area and was born
at Vanderbilt Medical Center near famed Charles Hawkins Field –
the home of Vanderbilt Commodores baseball in Nashville, Tennessee,
has devoted countless hours and travel to support the Howser Trophy
and college baseball. Besides the announcement of the winner at
Omaha, he has gone to the winner's campus and presented the trophy
before thousands of fans at fall college football games and other
gatherings. His travels in this capacity have taken him to Long
Beach, California, to Clemson, South Carolina, to Waco, Texas, to
Stillwater, Oklahoma, and points beyond.
"I am honored and appreciative to receive the 2015 Wilbur Snypp
Award," Feaster said. "It has been a pleasure to work for many years
with members of the NCBWA, and I have had the chance to meet and
great some of the greatest student-athletes and players of great
character in college baseball. Working with the Dick Howser Trophy
committee has been a labor of love for many years."
"David Feaster is the epitome of what college baseball means
to millions of people," said NCBWA executive director Bo Carter.
"He has been a great partner with the NCBWA and has spent hundreds
of his personal time and finances to support the great college game.
He truly is a class act and has been a wonderful ambassador for
baseball on all levels."
Feaster joins a sterling group of past Wilbur Snypp Award winners,
national journalists and college administrators as the 2015 recipient.
The plaque memorializes longtime Ohio State sports information director
and NCBWA founder, the late Wilbur (Bill) Snypp. Snypp was a noted
contributor to the writers' organization, which was initiated in
1962, as well as an officer in the group. The NCBWA/Wilbur Snypp
Award yearly honors a professional for contributions to the sport
of college baseball. Voting is conducted by a panel of previous
winners, who include past NCAA College World Series directors, College
Sports Information Directors of America Hall of Fame members, decorated
media members, and others.
ALL-TIME WILBUR SNYPP AWARD
WINNERS |
1975 Wilbur
Snypp, Ohio State 1976 Bill Esposito, St. John's 1977 Phil Langan,
Cornell 1978 John Geis, Southern Conference 1979 Hank Schomber, Georgia
Southern 1980 Bob Culp, Western Michigan 1981 Lou Pavlovich Sr., Collegiate
Baseball 1982 Tom Price, South Carolina 1983 Bob Bradley, Clemson
1984 Robert Williams, Omaha World-Herald 1985 Jerry Miles, NCAA 1986
Larry Keefe, Seton Hall 1987 Tom Rowen, San Jose Mercury-News 1988
Fred Gerardi, KESY Radio, Omaha 1989 Jim Wright, NCAA 1990 Steve Weller,
SIU-Edwardsville 1991 Bill Little, Texas 1992 Kirk Bohls,
Austin American-Statesman 1993 Bo Carter, Southwest Conference 1994 Lou Pavlovich
Jr., Collegiate Baseball 1995 Steve Pivovar, Omaha World-Herald 1996
Gary Johnson, NCAA |
1997 Dave Wohlhueter, Cornell 1998 Allen Simpson,
Baseball America 1999 Alan Cannon, Texas A&M 2000 Jim
Callis, Baseball America 2001
Dick Case, USA Baseball 2002
Russ Anderson, Conference USA
2003 John Manuel, Baseball America
2004 Dana Heiss Grodin, USA Today
Sports Weekly 2005 Dennis
Poppe, NCAA 2006 Mike Montoro,
Southern Miss 2007 Barry
Allen, Alabama 2008 Mike
Patrick, ESPN 2009 Al Chase,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin 2010
Lou Spry, NCAA 2011 Jeremy
Mills, ESPN/D1Baseball.com
2012 Eric Olson, Omaha World Herald
2013 J.D. Hamilton, NCAA
2014 John Sullivan, Rice
2015 David Feaster, Dick Howser Trophy
2016 Ralph Zobell, BYU
2017 Aaron Fitt, D1Baseball.com |
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