MU's Gregory finalist for national award

Kurtis Gregory (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior in the Football Bowl Subdivision and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: classroom, character, community and competition.

Gregory, a 2005 Santa Fe alum, is in his second year of studies for his master's degree in agriculture systems management. He received his degree from Missouri in three years with a 3.48 grade-point average and was a first-team Big XII Academic All-Conference selection in 2007 and '08.

Besides being named twice all-conference for his performance on the field, honorable mention as a sophomore and on the second team last season, the third-year starter has been involved in several community service organizations.

Gregory is Vice-President of the Student-Athletic Advisory Council and helped raise money for the Adopt-A-Family program. During the 2008-09 school term, he was selected as the Varsity M "male athlete of the year" and Big XII/Chick-Fil-A Community Champion.

The finalists are placed on a nationwide ballot for fan voting. Votes can be cast until Dec. 6 on the award web site at http://www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/foo... or by texting FOOTBALL to 74567.

Among the other nominees are Florida quarterback Tim Tebow -- the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner -- and 2008 Heisman finalist Colt McCoy, the Texas quarterback.