Jan. 19, 2018
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech football’s KeShun Freeman was named one of 25 semifinalists for the 2018 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, Athletes for a Better World (ABW) announced this week.
Named for legendary men’s basketball coach John Wooden, the Wooden Cup is presented by ABW to distinguished athletes from any sport – two high school, one collegiate and one professional – that best display character, teamwork and citizenship. The award is open to all college athletes, regardless of division or sport, and is widely regarded as one of the highest honors in intercollegiate athletics.
Freeman was one of Georgia Tech football’s unquestioned leaders, both on and off the field, as a Yellow Jacket from 2014-17. In particular, he was voted a team captain by his teammates prior to his senior season and was an active member of Georgia Tech’s Student-Athlete Advisory Board throughout his four years on The Flats. He was especially noted for organizing student-athletes to participate in community service initiatives, including visits to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite Hospital. In recognition of his leadership, he was tabbed as one of 20 semifinalists for the 2017 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.
He was also selected as a member of the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team in recognition of his involvement in several community service projects in Atlanta and beyond, including Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Chick-fil-A Youth Football Camp, Girls on the Run, Special Olympics and a trip to the Dominican Republic on behalf of Fellowship of Christian Athletes to build houses for local families.
Freeman’s service to the community and desire to help children is inspired by his brother, Landon, whose battle with health issues was chronicled by ESPN in 2015. Landon’s inspiration has also led KeShun, who graduated in December 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, to aspire for a career in pediatric anesthesiology after his football-playing days are over.
On the field, Freeman appeared in all 50 games of his four-year career as a Yellow Jacket and made 46 starts. He recorded seven sacks, 20.5 tackles for loss and forced two fumbles over the course of his career and was named freshman all-America after compiling 4.5 sacks during his first collegiate season in 2014.
Incredibly, of the 25 semifinalists for the intercollegiate athletics division of the 2018 Wooden Cup, five played football in the Atlantic Coast Conference – Freeman, NC State’s A.J. Cole III, Syracuse’s Zaire Franklin, Virginia’s Micah Kiser and North Carolina’s Austin Proehl.
In addition to naming the semifinalists, ABW also announced the four finalists for the award – Ashley Marcus (Penn – fencing), Hannah Menk (University of the Redlands – women’s soccer), Patrick Mohorcic (Wooster – football) and Stephen Rizzo (Marist – men’s cross country). The winner will be announced on April 25 during a ceremony at the Cobb Galleria Centre.
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