UHV’s Foulger named RRAC Dr. LeRoy Walker award winner
Former University of Houston-Victoria men’s soccer player Brian Foulger has been named the 2018 Red River Athletic Conference recipient of the NAIA Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award.
The award honors outstanding student-athletes for their academics, athletics, leadership and dedication to living the core values of the NAIA Champions of Character program.
As a conference winner, his nomination advanced to the NAIA national award level, where the overall winner was announced in September. Libby Dahlberg, a volleyball player at Westmont College, was recognized as the national award winner.
“The NAIA is proud to have you as one of our finest representatives,” said Leigh Schenck, NAIA vice president of business and product development, in a letter announcing the award. “Your accomplishments in the classroom, in competition and in the community speak for themselves. Furthermore, to read of your positive examples you set is refreshing and exciting. I commend you on your efforts in every aspect of your life.”
During his four seasons with the Jaguars, his teams compiled a 44-18-6 overall record and made four appearances in conference tournaments, winning the RRAC title in 2018 and advancing to UHV’s first trip to the NAIA National Championships in men’s soccer.
He was very involved off the field as well, serving his team and the Victoria community in numerous service projects. One of his biggest projects was working as a volunteer during the 2017 Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts in Houston and Victoria.
A native of Leighton Buzzard, England, he and his teammates were forced to evacuate Victoria prior to the storm making landfall on the Texas Coast line just south of Victoria. While in Houston, he and his teammates immediately jumped in to volunteer to help at the Woodlands Community Disaster Relief Distribution Center to assist the flood victims in the Houston area.
Once he and his teammates were able to return to Victoria, he continued his efforts as a volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse to help in the local recovery efforts. Their efforts led to the team being awarded the NAIA Buffalo Funds Five-Star Champions of Character Team award for 2018.
He also volunteered his service in raising funds for the Movember Movement, helping organize several blood drives and was a volunteer at Twins Pines Nursing Home and Rehab Center. He also served as a volunteer coach for the VYSO program and the YMCA soccer clinics.
He served as vice-president of the International Student Organization at UHV from 2014-2018 and received the “outstanding international undergraduate student” award for the academics year 2017-2018.
“His service to the community speaks volumes as to what type of person he is and how deserving he is of the award,” said UHV Athletics Director Ashley Walyuchow.
Academically, he served as a testing assistant at UHV proctoring tests for adults entering the education system and was a Supplemental Instructor (S.I.) helping students outside the classroom to study for the contents in the class twice a week for the semester. Those sessions ranged from 10-90 students at a time.
He graduated with honors majoring in business management and obtaining a 3.5 GPA. He was named to the UHV President’s List twice and earned recognition on the UHV Dean’s List four times during his four years at UHV.
He is the first UHV student-athlete to receive the award.
“Brian’s leadership was instrumental on and off the field during his time at UHV,” said UHV soccer coach Adrian Rigby. “The award exemplifies all the qualities a student-athlete should have in an effort to display the five core values of the Champions of Character program. We are extremely proud of Brian for receiving this award.”
The Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award for student-athletes is one of the most prestigious awards in the NAIA and was created in association with the National Sports Foundation, a group of sports organizations that promote and recognize sportsmanship. Dr. Walker was a former president of the NAIA and president emeritus of the U.S. Olympic Committee.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
