The winner must display outstanding sportsmanship and
leadership, representing WVU well in all aspects. Winners are selected
by the WVU Athletic Council. The council voted last year to annually
award the top male and female captains.
A Fairview, W.Va., native, Bland captained the women’s cross
country team to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, marking
the school’s highest finish in the event. She became WVU’s first
female in school history to earn All-America honors in three sports in
the same year in 2008 (cross country, indoor and outdoor track). This
year, Bland placed 13th in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championship and
anchored the Distance Medley Relay team that took first place with a WVU
record time of 11:05.12.
Bland also was named the 2009 BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field
Championship’s Most Outstanding Performer after setting a BIG EAST and
school record with a time of 4:34.78 in the mile.
A member of the WVU Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll
and a Big East Academic All-Star, Bland is involved in several community
service initiatives such as volunteer coaching with the West Virginia
Flyers Indoor Track Club, volunteering with the Jerry Lewis Telethon to
benefit multiple sclerosis and being a volunteer reader at Brookhaven
Elementary school.
White, a Daphne, Ala., native, set 25 WVU, Big East and national
records during his illustrious career and captained the Mountaineers
during his senior campaign. A three-time All-big East first team
selection, White guided the Mountaineers to their fourth straight bowl
victory with a Meineke Car Care Bowl victory over North Carolina, thus
becoming the first starting quarterback in NCAA history to lead his team
to four straight bowl wins. Along the way, he captured the NCAA’s
all-time career quarterback rushing mark with 4,480 yards. He set the
Big East’s career touchdowns responsible for mark with 103 and set the
conference standard in total offense, becoming the first player in
league history to amass more than 10,000 yards in a career (10,529). He
was named team MVP for the third consecutive time in 2008.
The 2007-09 West Virginia and Alabama Amateur Athlete of the
Year, White is a member of the WVU Athletic Director’s Academic Honor
Roll and a Big East Academic All-Star. A true role model to all in the
state, White spoke to school-aged children about the importance of
staying in school and staying away from drugs and alcohol. He also
visited children’s hospitals.
The award was started to honor the retirement of Fred Schaus,
who had outstanding success as a Mountaineer basketball player, coach
and athletic director.
Past winners of the Fred Schaus Captain’s Award:
Herbie
Brooks, basketball (1989)
Tammie DeAngelis, rifle (1990)
Aileen
Convery, swimming (1991)
Ann-Marie Pfiffner, rifle (1992)
Garett
Smith, rifle (1993)
Dean Morrison, wrestling (1994)
Jean Foster, rifle
(1995)
Seldon Jefferson, basketball (1996)
Sandy Shumate, volleyball
(1996)
Charles Emanuel, football (1997)
Marcos Scrivner, rifle (1998)
Shawn Foreman, football (1999)
Jessica Nonnemacher, gymnastics (2000)
Katie Barnes, soccer (2001)
Kyle Kayden, football (2002)
Avon
Cobourne, football (2003)
Merissa Sexsmith, cross country/track (2003)
Grant Wiley, football (2004)
Kate Bulger, basketball (2004)
Rasheed
Marshall, football (2005)
Laura Kane, soccer (2005)
J.D. Collins,
basketball (2006)
Susan Davis, cross country/track (2006)
Jessica
Czaikowski, track (2007)
Dan Mozes, football (2007)
Ashley Banks,
women’s soccer (2008)
Darris Nichols, basketball (2008)