George Selvie

Classroom

Selvie is an exemplary student at the University of South Florida.  He has attacked his undergraduate coursework with the same tenacity and energy that he demonstrates on the football field every Saturday in the fall.  This summer Selvie was able to complete his undergraduate degree in communications with a concentration in public and cultural communication with a 2.71 GPA.  In addition to his recent graduation, his academic achievements culminated in him earning the prestigious Emmitt Smith Athletic Achievement Award, a national honor awarded by the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.  The award, named for the former Gator and Cowboys running back who is the NFL’s career rushing leader, goes to a fraternity member who best combines athletic and academic success with fraternity and community involvement.

Character

Selvie’s role as a leader at USF has been a great point of pride for him and the entire university community.  Whether it be in the classroom, on the practice field, or in the community, Selvie is always looked at as a role model.  This is most evident when recently he and another teammate approached Head Coach Jim Leavitt about the group of senior teammates wearing the number 10 to honor a teammate who tragically died during a team workout in 2007.  In a season where Selvie is accumulating numerous pre-season recognitions, a more selfish individual would have requested more and more of the spotlight, but he has decided to use this opportunity to pay tribute to a former teammate.

Community

All throughout Selvie’s career at USF, he has demonstrated an interest in using his role as a high profile student-athlete to positively affect change in the community.  For the past two years he has been involved in April’s National Take Back the N.I.T.E. event that looks to raise awareness of domestic violence in America.  Not only does he attend and contribute to the event, but he takes it upon himself to facilitate the involvement of his teammates.  This past summer Selvie served as a mentor for USF’s Youth Impact Program, which gave 100 inner city youth an opportunity to come to USF for a four-week camp that stressed the importance of academics, life skills and proper football skill development.  As expected, Selvie became one of the best mentors, regularly opening up to the students and connecting with them in and out of the classroom.  The camp was a great sucess and it would not have been possible with his contributions.

Competition

Elected team captain for 2009, Selvie is the active NCAA FBS career leader in tackles for loss and second in sacks. He is a consensus preseason All-American and preseason All-BIG EAST pick. In 2008, he was an AFCA All-American first-team selection and a second-team Walter Camp All-American. He was first-team all-BIG EAST in 2008 as well. In 2007, he was a consensus all-American.