NEW YORK – Former Georgia Tech baseball standout and MLB All-Star Mark Teixeira will be awarded the 13th Annual Heisman Humanitarian Award for his continuing service and many years of giving back within the community, the Heisman Trophy Trust announced on Monday.
The Heisman Trust created the Humanitarian Award as an extension to the Heisman Trophy’s greater outreach to athletes who are providing opportunities to those less fortunate.
.@teixeiramark25 continues to be an Everyday Champion even after his playing days are over. We couldn’t be more proud that he’s a part of the @GTAthletics family. Congrats on this well-deserved Honor, Mark! #EverydayChampions #GTProud #TogetherWeSwarm https://t.co/6JaTRtkw2b
— Todd Stansbury (@GTToddStansbury) October 23, 2018
Less than three years removed from an illustrious professional career, Teixeira has been a tireless supporter within the community, supporting programs in a number of cities that have focused on education, youth development and employment opportunities.
In addition to establishing scholarship endowments at his alma maters of Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore and at Georgia Tech, he’s also a board member for The Emerald Corridor Foundation, working to build and restore safe greenspaces and waterways in Northwest Atlanta. The organization also helps strengthen the community through education, job training and employment opportunities.
From his eight years spent as a New York Yankee, Teixeira is also a staunch supporter of DREAM (formerly Harlem RBI), a local New York nonprofit that uses sports and recreation to inspire inner-city youth to recognize their potential and realize their dreams through its school, after-school and summer programs.
Teixeira joins the ranks of 12 extraordinary Heisman Humanitarians that include Joey Cheek, George Martin, Pat LaFontaine, Mia Hamm, Warrick Dunn, David Robinson, Joe Torre and Boomer Esiason.
This is quite an honor, I’m humbled and blessed to work within the communities that I care so deeply about. Thanks you @HeismanTrophy. @EmeraldCorridor @GTAthletics @wearedream @QuarryYards thank you for working with me to make our cities a better place! https://t.co/mN6XYmoJEg
— Mark Teixeira (@teixeiramark25) October 23, 2018
Teixeira hit .409 with 44 doubles, 36 home runs and 165 RBI in three seasons at Georgia Tech (1999-2001), earning 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year and the 2000 ACC Player of the Year honors, as well as being named a two-time all-American (second team as a freshman in 1999, consensus first-team in 2000). The third-basemen was also the winner of the 2000 Dick Howser Trophy as college baseball’s national player of the year.
He was selected No. 5 overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft (tied for the third-highest draft pick in Georgia Tech baseball history) and went on to play 14 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Rangers (2003-07), Atlanta Braves (2007-08), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2008) and New York Yankees (2009-16). He was a three-time MLB All-Star (2005, 2009, 2015), three-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2004, 2005, 2009), five-time Gold Glove winner (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012) and led the American League in home runs (39) and RBI (122) in 2009, when he also won the World Series with the Yankees.
In addition to his on-field honors, Teixeira, an economics major, earned first-team Academic All-America recognition in 2000. He was inducted to the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 and will be inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in February 2019.
Teixeira will receive the Heisman Humanitarian Award, alongside a $75,000 donation to DREAM, at the 84th Annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Gala on Sunday, Dec. 9 in New York City.
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