March 1, 1999
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue athletes Carri Long and Isaac Jones have been nominated for the 1999 NCAA Sportsperson of the Year. The annual award is presented to student-athletes who have demonstrated respect, fairness, civility, honesty and responsibility among athletes, coaches and officials during the spring and fall seasons. The finalists will be selected in late April.
Both Long, a junior, and Jones, a December graduate, were nominated by their coaches and selected to represent Purdue by the athletic administration. Commitment to their sportand the community were important in their selection.
Long was able to demonstrate her sportsmanship last season at the Butler Last Chance Meet. She had not yet qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the high jump. On her second of three attempts an official mistakenly credited her with a passing jump she had not made. No one contested the official or the mark. The height she had been credited with was good enough to qualify her for the national championship meet the next weekend. On her own, Long went to the official and corrected the error, thereby making her final attempt her last chance to make it into the postseason meet. She was able to clear the height on the third attempt and compete at the national championships.
Long is also active in the community. This season she is the team captain in charge of service projects. She is responsible for the planning and organization of the Girl Scout Track and Field Clinic, a program designed to introduce young girls to the sport and assist them with technique. Last year's program involved over 150 Girl Scouts. She was also the team leader in the 1998 Lafayette Heart Walk encouraging 25 other track athletes to join her. She participated in the NCAA Youth Education through Sports (YES) clinic at the 1998 national championships in Buffalo, N.Y., where she spoke to the group and worked individually with the high jumpers.
She also works in the community outside of Purdue. She is an accomplished horse rider and volunteers her time for C.H.A.P.S., a program "providing therapeutic benefits through horseback riding to individuals with disabilities in Tippecanoe and surrounding counties." She is active in the 4-H Horse and Pony program, donating her time to help 4-H participants prepare for fairs and shows. During the summer she is a volunteer coach with her hometown track and field team.
Jones, a member of the 1998 Alamo Bowl champion Purdue football team, is the spokesman for Gentle Giants, a program designed to help local school children with their reading skills. He has also been a featured speaker for many organizations such as the Tippecanoe County Volunteer Bureau, YMCA conferences, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. During the holiday season, Isaac made several visits to hospitals to spend time with children and the elderly. He was responsible for coordinating the Purdue athlete's food drive for the football team and won the Greater Lafayette Area Kiwanis Club's Citizenship Award last year.
Jones was Purdue's leading receiver this past season. His 83 receptions rank second on the all-time Purdue's single season list. He was named team captain and was voted Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by both the coaches and the media this past season. Jones ended his career at Purdue ranked ninth in total receiving yardsand fourth in career receptions.