Special IBA Award Graced by Lilly, Wampler and Taylor
A sell-out crowd of over 1000 sports enthusiasts, sports celebrities, coaches, former athletes, Olympic medalists, athletic directors, Rotarians and their guests attended the 18th Annual Rotary Club of Tulsa’s Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Awards held at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center in early June.
The female Iba Award recipient was Kristine Lilly, The male Iba Award recipient was Jason Taylor and Chairman’s Award was presented to Stephen Wampler.
Lilly holds the world record with 352 international appearances. Her humanitarian accomplishments include founding the Lilly Awards honoring extraordinary Connecticut women, serving as a Special Olympics soccer ambassador for North America, member of the Special Olympics Advisory team, volunteer for the Mia Hamm Foundation, Triad Trust, America Scores, the Women’s Sports Foundation, Good Sports, and the Jared Williams Foundation.
Taylor played with the New York Jets and with the Miami Dolphins he was a six-time Pro Bowler, 2006 AP Defensive Player of the Year, and 2007 Walter Payton Man of the Year. He established the Jason Taylor Foundation in 2004 helping build better futures for inner city kids in south Florida and has an enormous volunteer resume.
The Chairman’s Award recognizes a person with a significant physical disability who expresses courage in the face of adversity by a significant accomplishment in sports. Wampler is the first person with cerebral palsy to climb the 3,000-foot rock formation, El Capitan, in California’s Yosemite National Park. The feat was accomplished with 20,000 pull-ups over six days. Wampler received a trophy and $5,000 for the Stephen J. Wampler Foundation, which offers wilderness camps for children with disabilities at no cost to their parents.
Updated 07-13-2011
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