03/29/2024
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Photos by: Kenneth Armstrong

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CANTON, OHIO – The U.S. Army and the Pro Football Hall of Fame were at East Bladen High School, in Elizabethtown, N.C., today to recognize Emily Scott as a U.S. Army-Pro Football Hall of Fame Award for Excellence finalist. Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks presented the prestigious award to Scott before her fellow classmates and family members during a formal ceremony.

Brooks shared with the students in attendance lessons that his father and sports have taught him, which have helped him understand the values in life and he believes will help the students as well.

“When you see options, you have to turn them into opportunities. When I was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1995, it wasn’t a very popular place to be, but we turned the franchise around with a lot of hard work, and the principles that you see with the U.S. Army; commitment, dedication, teamwork, and sacrifice,” Brooks shared. “We turned a lot of tests into testimonies and a lot of obstacles into opportunities, and I encourage you to do the same.”

The Award for Excellence program highlights the achievements of student-athletes across the country. Open to all sophomore, junior and senior-level high school athletes in the United States, finalists were selected based on athletic, academic and civic achievements. Scott is among an elite group of 25 finalists who have demonstrated excellence in all  they do and an understanding of the importance of adaptability and versatility when working as a team.

“I truly believe that you have to witness excellence to become excellent. You have to see those excellent role models to even understand what it means to be excellent,” Scott explained. “Growing up in Elizabethtown, North Carolina, I’ve had so many opportunities to learn from the best. I may be up here receiving this award, but really it goes out to all of us. We are an excellent circle of family, friends, students, coaches, teachers, leaders and role models for those coming behind us. We are all excellent!”

Each U.S. Army-Pro Football Hall of Fame Award for Excellence finalist will be honored in Canton during the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls this summer. The celebration will start when the Award for Excellence finalists and their guests attend the Hall of Fame Game between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals on Thursday, Aug. 3. The finalists are then hosted at a special luncheon on Saturday, Aug. 5 during which the winner will be announced. All 25 finalists will attend the Enshrinement Ceremony for the Class of 2017 – Morten Andersen, Terrell Davis, Kenny Easley, Jerry Jones, Jason Taylor, LaDainian Tomlinson and Kurt Warner – that evening.

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