University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Shavonte Zellous Named Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year
2/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 16, 2009
PITTSBURGH -
Pitt senior guard Shavonte Zellous has been named the 2008 Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year by the Dapper Dan Charities, as announced by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The award stays in the Pitt women’s basketball family as head coach Agnus Berenato won the prestigious award in 2005 and in 2007. The Sportswoman of the Year award has been given annually since 1999 and is presented by the Dapper Dan Charities, which benefits the youth sports and education programs of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania.
Zellous (Orlando, Fla./Jones) helped lead the Panthers to its first-ever Sweet 16 run in 2008 and has been a cornerstone of the Panthers’ rise to national prominence. She has led Pitt in scoring over the past three seasons and recently hit the 2,000-point milestone, making her just the third player in Pitt history and just the 13th in storied Big East history to reach the mark.
In Pitt’s Feb. 10, 2009 win at Rutgers, women’s basketball analyst Debbie Antonelli stated “Pittsburgh is where they are now on the national scene because of Shavonte Zellous and what Agnus Berenato has been able to build around her. She is a winner. She is a competitor.”
In 2008, Zellous led Pitt to an improbable run through the NCAA Tournament including a win over No. 3 seed, and 12th-ranked Baylor to advance to the Sweet 16. In the round of 16, Zellous’ outstanding performance merited a spot on the five-player Spokane All-Region team as the only player not advancing to the regional finals.
Joining Zellous on stage for the Dapper Dan Sports Banquet on April 2 at the Petersen Events Center, will be Sportsman of the Year Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Dapper Dan is the city’s oldest, largest and most prestigious sports banquet. The Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year award was first presented in 1939. A complete list of winners is below.
Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year
1999 Suzie McConnell-Serio
2000 Dori Anderson
2001 Carol Semple Thompson
2002 Swin Cash
2003 Kelly Mazzante
2004 Lauryn Williams
2005 Agnus Berenato
2006 Swin Cash
2007 Agnus Berenato
2008 Shavonte Zellous
Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year
1939 Billy Conn
1940 Fritzie Zivic
1941 Aldo T. “Buff” Donelli
1942 Bill Dudley
1943 Rip Sewell
1944 Frankie Frisch
1945 Billy Conn
1946 Bill Dudley
1947 Ralph Kiner
1948 Bill Meyer
1949 Ralph Kiner
1950 Joe Geri
1951 Murry Dickson
1952 L.P. “Red” Dawson
1953 Lew Worsham
1954 D.W. “Dudley” Moore
1955 John Michelosen
1956 Dale Long
1957 Dick Groat
1958 Danny Murtaugh
1959 Elroy Face
1960 Dick Groat and Arnold Palmer
1961 Roberto Clemente
1962 Lou Michaels
1963 John Michelosen
1964 Del Miller
1965 Vernon Law
1966 Roberto Clemente
1967 Aldege “Baz” Bastein
1968 Steve Blass and Dick Hoak
1969 John “Red” Manning
1970 Danny Murtaugh
1971 Danny Murtaugh, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell
1972 Chuck Noll
1973 Johnny Majors
1974 Joe Greene
1975 Terry Bradshaw
1976 Tony Dorsett
1977 Franco Harris
1978 Dave Parker
1979 Willie Stargell
1980 Hugh Green
1981 Jackie Sherrill
1982 Joe Paterno
1983 Dan Marino
1984 John Stallworth
1985 Louis Lipps
1986 Mario Lemiuex
1987 Syd Thrift
1988 Mario Lemieux
1989 Roger Kingdom
1990 Jim Leyland
1991 Bob Johnson
1992 Bill Cowher
1993 Jay Bell
1994 Bill Cowher
1995 Jaromir Jagr
1996 Kurt Angle
1997 Jerome Bettis
1998 Joe Paterno
1999 Mario Lemiuex
2000 Jason Kendall
2001 Kordell Stewart
2002 Ben Howland
2003 Larry Fitzgerald
2004 Ben Roethlisberger
2005 Jerome Bettis
2006 Sidney Crosby
2007 Sidney Crosby
2008 Mike Tomlin
