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PAST WINNERS OF THE TANQUERY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Ralph Sampson. After completion of four year career at Virginia, the 7-foot), 4-inch superstar No. 1 draft selection by the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association. Was All-America during each of his four years at Virginia and also was selected by various organizations on various occasions as Player of the Year. He has been acclaimed as top college basketball player to enter the pro ranks in more than a decade. During career at Virginia, in final season he had a scoring average of 19 points per game, field goal shooting of 60 per cent, and free throw accuracy of 71 per cent. His selection had made Houston an early favorite for NBA honors next season.

Herschel Walker. The three-time Georgia All-America as its greatest running back of all-time, stunned the sports world by accepting an offer to play pro football with the New Jersey Generals of the U.S. Football League, even though he had a year of college eligibility remaining. He won the Heisman Trophy after last season as the top college player in the nation and elected to turn pro after an offer that he said "was simply too good to turn down." With the Generals he became the league's leading rusher and went on to establish a pro football rookie mark with a total of 1,812 yards gained in rushing, which topped the National Football League mark of 1,674, gained by George Rogers of New Orleans in his rookie season.

Darryl Strawberry. He won the award as the nation's outstanding amateur player from Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles and was selected No. 1 in the free agent draft by the New York Mets. Rapidly ascending the professional ladder and playing now in his first Major League season, he has been a home run and runs batted in producer with the Mets and is in contention for National League Rookie of the Year honors. He became their Tidewater (Va.) farm club of the International League in mid-season.

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Kurt Thomas. The first American to win a Gold Medal in world class gymnastics competition since 1932, Thomas was deprived of a chance to achieve another in the 1980 Olympics because of the presidential ban on participation by U.S. Athletes in the games at Moscow. Thomas won the American Cup in New York's Madison Square Garden three times, the last before 35 million television viewers in March of 1979. In 1978 he won a Gold Medal for the U.S. in the floor exercises event in World competition in Strasbourg, France.

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