« on: February 01, 2015, 03:45:37 PM »
Auburn's Sammie Coates wins Rare Disease Champion awardhttp://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2015/02/auburns_sammie_coates_wins_rar.html#incart_riverFormer Auburn receiver Sammie Coates has won the Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion award with the help of a fan vote, according to the national nonprofit organization.
Coates, who built and maintained a relationship with leukemia patient Kenzie Ray during his time at Auburn, is the seventh winner of the award, and he'll formally accept the award on March 13 at the Maxwell Club Awards Gala in Atlantic City.
The relationship Coates has built with Ray and other kids battling cancer earned nationwide attention when ESPN's College GameDay ran a story on the two before Auburn's win over Ole Miss this season.
Coates, who lost his father in an industrial accident, has a heart for trying to help people going through difficult situations, and his heart has zeroed in on children battling cancer.
Fans chose Coates as the winner of the annual award from a group of six finalists that also included South Florida's Quinterrius Eatmon, Baylor's Levi Norwood, Minnesota associate athletic director Dan O'Brien, UCLA's Marcus Rios and Eastern Illinois offensive coordinator Greg Stevens.
Uplifting Athletes is a national nonprofit organization that focuses on raising awareness of rare diseases through the sport of college football. The organization's highest award is annually given to "a leader in the world of college football who has realized his or her potential to make a positive and lasting impact on the rare disease community."
Now, after catching 82 passes for 1,757 yards and 13 touchdowns in his career, Coates is a projected first or second-round pick in the NFL Draft after an impressive week at the Senior Bowl.
Sammie.
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