Roman-Canning Award for Student Service Now Accepting Applications

9/21/2021 10:00:00 AM | By: JCUSID

Nominations are now being accepted for the Roman-Canning Award, to be first awarded in April 2022 to a JCU senior student-athlete.

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- At John Carroll University, service could not be a more important aspect of the student athlete experience. While participating in athletics, student athletes learn the importance of service to others and the meaning of being Men and Women for Others.

A generous donation has solidified this cornerstone of Jesuit education at John Carroll.

JCU Football alumni Matt Canning '95 and Greg Roman '94 have recently made a generous gift commitment to John Carroll University to create the Roman-Canning Award for Student Athlete Service.

Members of the 1994 OAC Championship team, Roman and Canning did not just enjoy success on the gridiron. The duo spent countless hours working to improve the surrounding community. Canning and Roman were consistently involved with service projects and initiatives during their time as student athletes.

As a result, both Matt and Greg were awarded the Student Athlete Community Service Award during their college careers. Greg created Project H.O.P.E (Helping Others Through Education); a service organization dedicated to working with the developmentally-disabled in Northeast Ohio during his time as a student athlete.

"That experience [Project HOPE] afforded us a great opportunity and a great springboard for us in our lives in terms of leadership, teamwork, and service," says Roman.

The Roman-Canning Award for Student Athlete Service will be awarded on a yearly basis and will recognize one John Carroll senior student athlete. The recipient, who will have exhausted their athletic eligibility, will demonstrate a commitment to serving others while distinguishing herself or himself as an outstanding example of servant leadership amongst student athletes at John Carroll.

The student athlete will receive a $2,500 grant, while the awardee's athletic team will receive a $2,500 gift from the fund in recognition of the team's positive service culture. The award will first be given out in April 2022.

The nomination form for the Roman-Canning Award for Student Athlete Service is now open and can be found here. Eligible student athletes must be nominated by a varsity athletic coach or staff member within the athletics department.

"We are so grateful for the generosity of Greg and Matt," said Senior Director of Athletics Michelle Morgan. "Greg and Matt are true examples of Men of Carroll in the way they have lived their lives since graduating. We highly value service at John Carroll, and this gift cements that legacy of service."

Matt Canning graduated from John Carroll University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and a Bachelor of Science in psychology. A leader on the football team, Canning played cornerback and was also a member of the track & field team. After graduation, he served on Coach Tony DeCarlo's staff as an assistant coach. He has worked for Henkel (formerly Manco) for the last 24 years and is currently the VP of North American Sales. Canning has proudly worked with (and hired) several John Carroll student-athletes and alumni during his time with the company. He recently joined the Avon Board of Education.

Greg Roman is a member of the class of 1994 at John Carroll University, graduating with a degree in Political Science. Greg was an All-OAC defensive tackle on the football team at JCU. He has worked at the upper echelons of collegiate and professional football for over 25 years, holding coaching positions with the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, Stanford University, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Ravens. From 2011-2014, as Offensive Coordinator of the 49ers, he led the team to three straight NFC Championship games as well as Super Bowl XLVII in 2012. For the past 4 years, he has been the Offensive Coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, leading the franchise to historic offensive rankings and achievements and multiple AFC North division titles.

Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Related Stories

Sponsors