The Ben Hogan Award of Perseverance recognizes high school and college students who have overcome adversity or injury to return and excel in their respective sport(s).
The award’s namesake is the legendary Ben Hogan. Mr. Hogan dominated the game of golf and is considered one of the greatest and most revered competitors in golf history. Mr. Hogan began playing golf and working as a caddie at the age of 12. By age 17, he had turned pro and ultimately joined the PGA tour. Over the next several years, Mr. Hogan played competitively but had difficulty with an uncontrollable hook to his shot. He took a little time off from competition but eventually returned to the PGA tour in 1937 and became the tour’s leading money winner in 1940, 1941, and 1942.
After serving in the Army during World War II, Mr. Hogan won his first major tournament, taking the PGA title in 1946 and then again in 1948 while also winning the U.S. Open tournament. Mr. Hogan’s life took a major turn in early 1949, when he and his wife were in a horrific automobile accident where they were hit head on by a bus. Mr. Hogan suffered numerous internal injuries and fractures which would plague him for the rest of his life.
His doctors, fearing the worst, did not know if he would ever walk again, much less play golf competitively.
Through sheer determination, Mr. Hogan set out to get himself back into the game he loved. By the following year, he was playing in tournaments across the country. Just 16 months after his accident, Mr. Hogan won another U.S. Open. He again won the U.S Open in 1951 and 1953. He also won the Masters Tournament in 1951 and 1953. Mr. Hogan retired with 64 tournament victories and nine career professional major championships. In later life, Mr. Hogan spent his time playing, writing books, and managing his company. Sadly, Mr. Hogan passed away in July 1997, in Fort Worth.
Texas Health Sports Medicine and the Ben Hogan Foundation are seeking nominations for the Ben Hogan Perseverance Award. Given annually to a high school and a collegiate athlete, the recipients of this award have overcome extraordinary adversity to return to the game.
The $10,000 Ben Hogan Perseverance Award will be divided equally between the athlete and the athlete’s school/university, each receiving $5,000. The award must be used to fund the students’ education.
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Nomination Guidelines
- Each nomination must include a one-page letter from an Athletic Trainer or Athletic Director who worked directly with the nominee from the time of their injury until return to competition (“Nomination Letter”).
- An Athletic Trainer or Athletic Director from a University, college, junior college or high school may nominate one student-athlete who satisfies the nominations criteria set forth below (“Nominations Criteria”).
- Each nomination must also include a one-page letter of recommendation from another witness to the student’s athletic perseverance such as a coach, physical therapist, physician, counselor, academic advisor or non-nominating athletic director (“Nomination Recommendation”).
- The nominee must submit a one to two-page essay (“Nominee Essay”). The essay should be a personal reflection of the student’s post-injury feelings, rehabilitation challenges, and motivations to continue competing.
- The nominee, and nominee’s parent if nominee is <18 years of age, must sign the Nomination form prior to submission for consideration.
- Information identifying nominees will be removed prior to consideration by the selection committee (“Selection Committee”); therefore, supplemental information that may identify the nominee such as photographs, newspaper articles, videotapes or DVD’s, will not be accepted.
- The deadline for all nominations is February 1 of each year.
- Award winners will be notified approximately one month prior to the awards ceremony.
Nominations must be submitted electronically no later than Feb. 1, 2023 by email to: BenHoganAwdPsv@TexasHealth.org.
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Nomination Criteria
- The nominee must have overcome adversity or injury that affected his/her level or ability to participate in sanctioned competition.
- The nominee must have returned to athletics and demonstrated achievement beyond expectations.
- The nominee must consistently demonstrate good sportsmanship and ethical behavior both on and off the field of play.
- The nominee must be in good academic standing at his/her educational institution.
- The nominee must be on the school’s team roster during the current year of competition.
- The nominee must reside in one of the following counties: Eastland Comanche, Erath, Hood, Parker, Tarrant, Wise, Denton, Johnson, Ellis, Dallas, Kaufman, Henderson, Rockwall, Hunt and Collin
- The nominee must not be a relative of any member of the Selection Committee.
- A nominee may only be nominated once unless he/she has suffered from an additional injury and continues to persevere.
