During this year’s football season, senior wide receiver Eric Peterman always delivered when Northwestern needed a big play. Wildcats’ are sure to remember his go-ahead 53 yard touchdown reception in the win over Michigan in Ann Arbor or his performance in the Homecoming victory over Purdue, where he both threw and caught a touchdown. In total, Peterman finished the year with 52 receptions for 654 yards and five touchdowns.
However, it was his performance off the field which helped Peterman win his latest accolade, the Award’s and Recgonition Association’s Sportsmanship Award, which he received on Wednesday. The award is designed to honor a player who exemplifies sportsmanship both on and off the field. The award’s first winner was current Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams in 2005.
After looking at nine other finalists, the awards committee decided Peterman most embodied the Sportsmanship’s Award’s values. The senior engineer major has a 3.2 GPA and serves on both the Student Athlete Advisory Council Committee and the McCormick Student Advisory Board. He also volunteers with APPLE, an inititiative initiated by the University of Virginia to combat substance abuse amongst atheletes. Peterman can always be seen cheering on his fellow student-athletes at numerous other Wildcats’ sporting events. These efforts to strengthen the Northwestern athletic and academic community, combined with his successful year on the football field, differentiated Peterman from the other finalists.
The next goal for Peterman and the Wildcats is to defeat the Missorui Tigers in the Alamo Bowl on December 29th and secure Northwestern’s first bowl victory since 1949 Check back with North By Northwestern for the latest news as well as a preview of the bowl.