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University of Minnesota Athletics
Elmore Receives Wilma Rudolph Achievement Award
6/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Minnesota junior defensive lineman Gaelin Elmore received the Wilma Rudolph Student Athlete Achievement Award on June 11 at the 2016 National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A) Convention Awards Luncheon. The event was held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, and Elmore was one of five student-athletes who will receive the award.
The Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award honors student athletes who have overcome great personal, academic, and/or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics.
Joining Elmore, who was named Academic All-Big Ten as a sophomore, in receiving the award this year were Carl Appleton (Lewis and Clark College), Imani Boyette (Texas), Nicole Dennion (Elon University) and Bailey Wind (Tennessee).
The N4A described Elmore's journey this way:
"By the age of five, Elmore had faced more hardships than the average person may face in a lifetime. After being homeless multiple times, separated from his siblings, observing drug-addicted parents, and forced to run away from foster homes due to abuse, Elmore found an outlet by playing sports. For his entire childhood, Elmore bounced from one foster home to the next before being reunited with his father for only a short time before drug-addition once again interfered. Thankfully, Elmore's high school football coach stepped in and gave him a place to live and a chance to do something meaningful with his life. With his coach's help, Elmore was able to receive a full scholarship to play football at the University of Minnesota, a place with a support system that he now considers to be family."
Elmore has played in 25 career games for Minnesota. He has made 23 tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks, broke up three passes, forced one fumble and recovered one fumble.
Elmore is the second Gopher to be honored with the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award in the last three years. Cedric Thompson, who inspired fans with his perseverance on and off the field, received the award in 2014 prior to his senior season.
