Jenkins, Omiyale named co-winners of 2005 Outstanding Male Athlete award
Every college athlete strives to attain a goal whether it is personal or team-oriented. Winning a championship or being named MVP may be a couple of the more popular goals players work hard to achieve.
COOEKVILLE, Tenn. -- Every college athlete strives to attain a
goal whether it is personal or team-oriented. Winning a
championship or being named MVP may be a couple of the more popular
goals players work hard to achieve.
The ultimate goal for an athlete, however, is to play
professionally in his or her particular sport. That?s exactly what
Tennessee Tech basketball standout Willie Jenkins and football
standout Frank Omiyale are trying to do. Because Jenkins and
Omiyale have achieved a lot of goals throughout their collegiate
careers and especially for their accomplishments during the
2004-2005 athletic season, Jenkins and Omiyale have been named
TTU?s 2005 co-Male Athlete of the Year by an awards committee at
the university.
The other finalists for the prestigious award included Robert
Craft (football), Chris Dautel (rifle), Tommy Harrison (football),
Braxton Hunter (golf), Nathan Marty (baseball), Michele Panzeri
(tennis), Chris Perry (cross country), Brandon Selvog (baseball),
Scott Stallings (golf) and Derek Stribling (basketball).
"There were a lot of people up for it and a lot of people deserved
it. It just so happens that I won," said Jenkins, who also captured
the honor in 2004. "It's a big honor. It feels good to win it two
years in a row. That lets me know that Tennessee Tech appreciated
me as much as I appreciated it."
Golden Eagle fans have appreciated Jenkins' talent and effort on
the
hardwood the last two years. A transfer from the University of
Massachusetts, the 6-foot-6 forward wasted little time in becoming
one of the most celebrated student-athletes in the history of TTU
men?s basketball.
As a senor, Willie helped lead Tech to the Ohio Valley Conference
regular season championship with a 12-4 mark in league play and the
No. 1 seed in the 2005 O?Reilly OVC Tournament. In guiding the
Golden Eagles to an 18-11 overall mark, Jenkins was voted by
coaches and sports information directors as the OVC Player of the
Year for the ?04-05 campaign.
He also became the first person in school history to earn arguably
one of the top distinctions in Division I basketball, garnering an
honorable mention spot on the 2004-05 AP All-America Team. Besides
landing Player of the Year and All-American honors, Jenkins was
also landed on the NABC All-District First and was twice named the
Ohio Valley Conference player of the week, and the preseason player
of the year.
The OVC Newcomer of the Year as a junior, Jenkins finished his
career at TTU as the top scoring two-year player in school history,
tallying 1,116 points in just two seasons, which is good for 21st
on the school?s all-time scoring list.
As a senior, Jenkins averaged nearly 20 ppg and just under seven
rebounds while finishing in the top 10 in eight different
statistical categories.
"I want to thank God for all the things he has done for me,"
Jenkins said. "This is probably one of the biggest awards on a
personal basis because it's coming from the school."
In addition to the things Jenkins has accomplished on the court,
he also reached his goal of earning a college education when he
graduated from TTU in May.
"I didn?t know what it really meant until I saw my mom crying,"
Jenkins recalled. "Out of 12 people in the neighborhood, I'm the
only to graduate from high school and college. That's something
nobody can take away from me. That let me know I can
accomplish the goals I want to."
Since graduation, Jenkins has been striving to achieve another
goal -- playing in the NBA. He has worked out for the Houston
Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Hornets after playing in
the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an NBA tryout camp of sorts
for college seniors.
Jenkins will find out about his professional aspirations when the
NBA draft is held at the end of this month.
"It's probably the biggest goal," said Jenkins of making it to the
NBA. "That's why I'm working hard right now to accomplish it. It
might take me a year, but I'm eventually going to get there."
Omiyale is already living his dream of playing professional
football. One of the best athletes to ever come out of the Golden
Eagle football program, the 6-foot-4, 295-pound offensive lineman
was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 2005
NFL draft, making him the 163rd overall pick.
Omiyale became the first Golden Eagle to get drafted into the
National Football League in 22 years and the highest draft choice
since 1976. He just recently wrapped up mini-camp with the Falcons
and is preparing for the start of fall camp July 25.
"I'm learning my way around. It's all good," Omiyale said about
his NFL experience so far. "At first I was trying to sort
everything out. I'm getting better at making my calls."
A native of Nashville, Omiyale made the right calls at TTU. A
three-year starter at the offensive tackle position, he earned
multiple accolades for his efforts on the field throughout his
college career.
Prior to the 2004 season, he was named to the preseason first-team
all-OVC as well as the preseason I-AA all-America squad from Don
Hansen?s Football Gazette. His stellar performance during his
senior season earned him even more awards in the post season
including first-team all-Ohio Valley Conference offense.
Omiyale was also named to the I-AA All-America Fourth Team by
CollegeSportsReports.com and first-team all-region and All-America
teams by the Football Gazette after leading the Golden Eagles to a
6-5 overall record.
"It means a lot. It's quite an accomplishment for an offensive
lineman," said Omiyale about being named co-Male Athlete of the
Year. "You always look at something like that and think that maybe
you can be one of those guys. My next goal is to go into the hall
of fame one day."
While his long term goal is to make it into the hall of fame, his
current goal is to make the Falcons' roster this fall.
"The speed is faster and technique is very important. It's
100-percent every snap," Omiyale explained. "There?s no taking it
easy. That's on your mind because there is somebody behind you that
can do it as good as you can so I'm busting my tail."
