May 22, 2002
Redding and Yehyawi Named First-Team Arthur Ashe, Jr. Scholars
Junior running back Mike Redding (Lake Zurich, Ill.) and sophomore inside linebacker Tameem Yehyawi (Keokuk, Iowa) were recently named first-team Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholars by the magazine, Black Issues in Higher Education.
The late tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr. mastered the ability to excel in academics, athletics and service to the community, a challenge that few student-athletes can master.
Black Issues in Higher Education established the Sports Scholar Award in his honor to recognize undergraduate students of color who exemplify the standards set by Ashe, who died in 1993.
Student-athletes are nominated by their institutions and must compete in an intercollegiate sport, maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2 and be active on campus or in the community.
Redding was the leading rusher on the Truman football team this past season, as the Bulldogs went 8-3 on the grid-iron and tied for third in the NCAA Division II Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
He has maintained a 3.88 GPA in business administration/finance at Truman and had 116 carries for 535 yards and four touchdowns in 2001, along with 10 catches for 94 yards. Redding led the team in rushing in 2000 as well, and was second as a freshman.
He is a two-time member of the MIAA commissioner's academic honor roll. For his career, Redding has 325 rushes for 1,511 yards and 13 touchdowns, along with 29 catches for 211 yards and a TD.
He is a repeat selection to the Arthur Ashe, Jr. first team, and served as a representative for Truman at the NCAA foundation leadership conference last summer. Redding is also active with the YMCA after school youth program and a member of Beta Gamma Sigma honorary business fraternity and Phi Kappa Phi honorary academic fraternity.
Yehyawi finished ninth on the team in total tackles in 2001 with 34 and had three tackles for losses of 15 yards, 1.5 sacks for a loss of 14 yards, one pass break-up and a forced fumble. He was also named to the MIAA commissioner's academic honor roll this past season, his first year of eligibility for the honor.
Yehyawi is a member of the American Medical Students Association and has volunteered a the YMCA with kids after school programs and at the Hawthorne Elementary Fun Day.
He has a 3.94 GPA in biology at Truman.
The Bulldogs finished the season with an 8-3 record and were 6-3 in MIAA action, tying for third-place in the conference.