Boston College Athletics
Simmons Named McGillis Scholarship Recipient
September 11, 2015 | Football
Chestnut Hill, Mass. -- Boston College senior defensive back Justin Simmons was named the recipient of the Jay McGillis Memorial Scholarship. During the Eagles' game against Howard, not only will the McGillis family be honored, but McGillis' former teammates and roommates will accept the honor on Simmons' behalf.
The award is given annually since 1993 to a Boston College defensive back who best exemplifies the personal qualities of team dedication and leadership by example, an extraordinary competitive spirit, and personal concern for family friends and teammates. McGillis, a starting defensive back for Boston College, passed away from Leukemia in 1992. The Eagles' spring game is played in his honor each year.
"It's just a huge honor receiving the Jay McGillis Scholarship," Simmons said. "I've talked to his roommate Mike Panos and former winners Wes Davis and Dominique Williams. It's amazing to see the honor that they carry around having that award and it sets them apart. I know Jay McGillis was a great man. It's in our locker room and it's the Jay McGillis Defensive Backs Room. You see him everywhere. Mike Panos says nothing but good things; he speaks so highly of him. To get this award, it means everything."
McGillis' father, John and brother, Paul, will be honored on at the end of the first quarter during BC's tilt against Howard. Former teammates Steve Marciano'94 and Mike Panos '94 will accept the award from the family on Simmons' behalf. Wes Davis '11, the 2009 recipient, and Eric Shorter '94, a two-time recipient, will also be on the field for the presentation.
Defensive backs coach Kevin Lempa is not only Simmons' coach, but coached McGillis as a player.
"Justin embodies all of the characteristics that Jay McGillis had. As far as toughness, intelligence, being a team player, spirituality --he has all those qualities just like Jay did," Lempa said. "You couldn't pick a better person to receive this honor."
Simmons is a 6-foot-3, 201-pound defensive back who returned as the Eagles' top tacklers from 2014. He recorded 76 tackles, including 63 solo stops and led the team with two interceptions. He started all 13 games last season, seven at free safety before making the switch to corner due to injuries in the secondary. He was second on the team with five pass breakups.
Before the start of the 2015 season, Simmons was named to the Danny Wuerffel Trophy watch list. The Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," is presented annually by the All Sports Association in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
Jay McGillis Scholarship Recipients
| 1993 | Eric Shorter |
| 1994 | Eric Shorter |
| 1995 | Rob Clifford |
| 1996 | Daryl Porter |
| 1997 | Shalom Tolefree |
| 1998 | Pedro Cirino |
| 1999 | Pedro Cirino |
| 2000 | Jonathan Ordway |
| 2001 | Lenny Walls |
| 2002 | Doug Bessette |
| 2003 | Paul Cook |
| 2004 | T.J. Stancil |
| 2005 | Jazzman Williams |
| 2006 | Ryan Glasper |
| 2007 | Jamie Silva |
| 2008 | Paul Anderson |
| 2009 | Wes Davis |
| 2010 | DeLeon Gause |
| 2011 | Donnie Fletcher |
| 2012 | Jim Noel |
| 2013 | Ted Davenport |
| 2014 | Dominique Williams |
| 2015 | Justin Simmons |
