Inside the NESCAC | Williams hockey player up for citizenship award this Thursday
Noah Schumer
Issue date: 1/22/08 Section: Sports
Over the past four years, William Bruce has founded or participated in over a dozen community service programs, maintained a 3.8 GPA at Williams College and played varsity ice hockey.
"I try to manage my time efficiently," he said. "And I drink a lot of coffee."
Bruce, a Williams senior from Nashville, Tenn., has been named a finalist for the fourth annual Coach John Wooden Citizenship Cup, an award that is becoming "one of the most prestigious ... in sports," according to its Web site. The Wooden Cup is given to "a collegiate and a professional athlete who have made the greatest difference in the lives of others."
Bruce was nominated by Williams' sports information director Dick Quinn and hockey coach Bill Kangas. He was notified over Thanksgiving break that he had been selected as one of five student-athletes to be named a finalist for the award, which will be handed to the winner at a ceremony in Atlanta on Thursday.
"If you think about the fact that the award is co-ed and spans all three [collegiate] divisions, that's pretty impressive," Kangas said. "He's involved in everything and he's just passionate about people. He's what I would call a 'doer.'"
Bruce is in elite company, as the short list of professional athletes who have won the award includes the household names of Peyton Manning, John Smoltz and John Lynch. Yet despite the scope of his achievements, Bruce maintains that he's motivated by a basic desire to serve others.
"When I see people who haven't had some of the opportunities that maybe I've had, I see an inconsistency between that and the idea of human dignity," he said. "I think it's important to organize and allow people who work hard to prove their worth."
After high school, he played junior hockey for three years. During that time period, he stayed with working families and took note of their struggles.
"I stayed with a woman who was a single mother," he said. "She was a nurse and I saw the long hours she worked and how tired she was. She told me how she had to go on welfare for a while to support her daughter. It gave me an inside look at the challenges they face."
"I try to manage my time efficiently," he said. "And I drink a lot of coffee."
Bruce, a Williams senior from Nashville, Tenn., has been named a finalist for the fourth annual Coach John Wooden Citizenship Cup, an award that is becoming "one of the most prestigious ... in sports," according to its Web site. The Wooden Cup is given to "a collegiate and a professional athlete who have made the greatest difference in the lives of others."
Bruce was nominated by Williams' sports information director Dick Quinn and hockey coach Bill Kangas. He was notified over Thanksgiving break that he had been selected as one of five student-athletes to be named a finalist for the award, which will be handed to the winner at a ceremony in Atlanta on Thursday.
"If you think about the fact that the award is co-ed and spans all three [collegiate] divisions, that's pretty impressive," Kangas said. "He's involved in everything and he's just passionate about people. He's what I would call a 'doer.'"
Bruce is in elite company, as the short list of professional athletes who have won the award includes the household names of Peyton Manning, John Smoltz and John Lynch. Yet despite the scope of his achievements, Bruce maintains that he's motivated by a basic desire to serve others.
"When I see people who haven't had some of the opportunities that maybe I've had, I see an inconsistency between that and the idea of human dignity," he said. "I think it's important to organize and allow people who work hard to prove their worth."
After high school, he played junior hockey for three years. During that time period, he stayed with working families and took note of their struggles.
"I stayed with a woman who was a single mother," he said. "She was a nurse and I saw the long hours she worked and how tired she was. She told me how she had to go on welfare for a while to support her daughter. It gave me an inside look at the challenges they face."
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