Special Olympics Oregon athlete Eric Thompson honored at 2010 Oregon Sports Awards

Special Olympics Oregon Coach Emaan Behboodi also recognized

PORTLAND, OR-Eric Thompson, a 24-year-old Special Olympics Oregon athlete from Medford, has been selected as the recipient of the Lou Burge Special Olympics Athlete of the Year Award.

Thompson was honored along with other outstanding Oregon athletes and sports figures such as former Grant HS standout and current NFL star Ndomukong Suh, University of Oregon football coach Chip Kelly and wide array of the state’s best college & high school athletes at the 2010 Oregon Sports Awards on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at Nike World Headquarters.

Upon accepting his award from host Ahmad Rashad— who called presenting the Lou Burge Award his “favorite part of the show every year”— Thompson told the audience about the challenges he has faced and overcome as individual with autism. He explained the impact Special Olympics has had on his life and gave credit to his coaches, teammates and family for his growth and success. His rousing speech earned him a standing ovation and more than a few tears among the 850 people in attendance. During the post-event reception, Eric spent time signing autographs and taking photos with many of his new fans.

The Oregon Sports Awards, hosted by Nike and presented by The Portland Tribune and Comcast Sportsnet, honor top athletes from Oregon at a reception and ceremony in the Tiger Woods Center at the Nike World Headquarters. Past Lou Burge awardees include Meagan Paxton of Gladstone, Kevin Zwart of Salem, Jennifer Hill of Turner, Darrick Yarbrough of Bend, Amelia Abel of Eugene, Rebecca Taylor of Newberg, Jennifer Deras of Portland, Debra McDougald of Portland and John Paul Monroe of Powell Butte.


About Eric Thompson
Eric Thompson lives in Medford. He has participated in basketball, golf, softball, volleyball and track & field in his 10 year Special Olympics career. He has spoken at various Special Olympics Oregon fundraising and board meetings and has competed in several marathons and other community based long distance running events. A 2005 graduate of South Medford HS, Eric earned his Eagle Scout and currently attends classes at Rogue Community College while also working as a mail carrier for the city of Medford. He has never let his diagnosis of autism keep him from tackling new challenges. You can see him compete live at the 2011 Special Olympics Oregon Winter Regional Games Basketball on March 5 in Springfield.

About the Lou Burge Award
The Lou Burge Award goes to the Special Olympics Oregon athlete who has inspired greatness in other athletes, volunteers and the community. Known as “Coach Lou,” Lou Burge touched countless lives through 19 years of service to Special Olympics. He coached track and field, roller skating, softball, basketball and bowling and was a Coach of the Year for Special Olympics Oregon.

Emaan Behboodi – Terry Porter Make it Better Award
Special Olympics Oregon basketball coach and Wilson High School senior football and basketball player, Emaan Behboodi, received the first-ever Terry Porter Make It Better Award at the event. This award goes to the athlete whose contributions in sport and community help local children and their families in the areas of live, learn and play.

Special Olympics Oregon Mourns the Loss of Sargent Shriver

Washington, D.C. (January 18, 2011) – Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr. died at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, MD, surrounded by his family. He was 95 years old. Near him at the time of his death were his five children: Robert “Bobby” Sargent Shriver III, Maria Owings Shriver, Timothy Perry Shriver, Mark Kennedy Shriver and Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver, as well as their spouses and all of his 19 grandchildren.

Husband of 56 years to the late founder of Special Olympics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Sargent Shriver was Chairman of the Board Emeritus for Special Olympics and served as president of the Special Olympics Movement from 1984 through 1996 before his son, Timothy P. Shriver took the helm as current Chairman and CEO. Sargent Shriver also served Special Olympics as Chairman of the Board of Directors from 1990 to 2003. As an international lawyer and administrator, ambassador and an advocate for the poor and powerless, Sargent Shriver compiled an unparalleled record of public service at every tier, from the local level to the world community.

“Sargent Shriver was a pioneer for our movement, helping us establish and build programs in the far corners of the globe,” said Special Olympics President and COO Brady Lum. “Today we celebrate the life of a man who saw the athletes of Special Olympics as ambassadors for peace. We honor a man who was able to transform the roots of violence and discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities by promoting Special Olympics throughout the world and we will continue his legacy by providing opportunities for people and communities to unite in harmony through sport.”

Shriver’s greatest legacy to the Special Olympics organization was the establishment of the Sargent Shriver International Global Messengers. These Special Olympics athletes serve four-year terms as spokespeople for the global Special Olympics Movement. This current class of Sargent Shriver International Global Messengers will continue Shriver’s commitment to promoting a spirit of peace and unity across the world.

Sargent Shriver was born November 9, 1915 in Westminster, Maryland. He attended Yale University in 1934 and during college, Shriver was the senior editor of the Yale Daily News. Shriver enrolled in Yale Law School in 1938, receiving his L.L.B. in 1941 and went on to serve five years in active duty in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

In 1953, Shriver married Eunice Kennedy, sister of John F. Kennedy. Shriver’s commitment to public service made him one of the most effective leaders of John F. Kennedy’s New Frontier and Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society in the 1960s. He inspired, directed, or founded numerous social programs and organizations, including Head Start, VISTA, Job Corps, Community Action, Upward Bound, Foster Grandparents, Special Olympics, the National Center on Poverty Law, Legal Services, and the Peace Corps, serving as the program’s first director under President Kennedy. Shriver also ran the War on Poverty during Johnson’s tenure as president. Shriver also served as U.S. ambassador to France from 1968 to 1970.

In 1972, Shriver was nominated by the Democratic Party as a candidate for Vice President with presidential candidate Senator George McGovern in the campaign against President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew. In 197 8, Shriver began the Kennedy Institute of Ethics “Trialogue” between leaders of Christian, Jewish and Muslim religions, the first such forum for discussion since medieval Spain.

Shriver is survived by his five children; and his 19 grandchildren who range in age from one to twenty-three years.

Out of respect for the privacy of the family, no interviews are being granted at this time.