For the third time in the past seven years, a Hillsdale College football player earned an award named after one of the college's most beloved and impactful men.
Senior linebacker Steven Embry is the 2013 recipient of the Jack McAvoy Award, which recognizes a GLIAC football player who best combines outstanding character and leadership on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
The award was chosen by conference commissioner Dell Robinson.
Other recent winners of the award from the namesake's alma mater have been QB Mark Nicolet (2007) and OL Phil Doerfler (2010).
Embry turned in a terrific season for the Chargers in 2013, leading the team with 4 interceptions while racking up 74 total tackles on his way to being named honorable mention All-GLIAC. He had one interception return for touchdown, and had 2 pass break-ups and 2 1/2 sacks.
A biology major, Embry completed his undergraduate studies at Hillsdale College in December 2013 with an overall grade point average of 3.6. He was a national semifinalist for the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award, and was the winner of the Michigan Chapter of the National Football Foundation's Scholar Athlete Award for Division II players. He earned First-Team Academic All-District honors from the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America, and was a nominee for the AFCA All State Good Works Team.
After the season, he took home two team awards, the Howard "Champ" Messenger Award as well as the Leonard Urbanick Award for scholarship, leadership and ability.
Away from football, Embry was heavily involved with a number of projects and organizations. He was a FCA Huddle leader at weekly Bible study groups, held at Hillsdale Academy School and was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In the past, he's volunteered his time with Habitat for Humanity, the Hillsdale Community Health Center and volunteered in the college's Biological Statistics Lab. He was a member of the Tri-Beta biology honorary and has served as a volunteer coach at Clinton High School, his alma mater.