Webster Scholarship

Downtown Coaches Club

Webster Memorial Scholarship

Legendary football coach Duffy Daugherty once said of George Webster, "He doesn't tackle people. He explodes them! George was the greatest football player I ever coached."
Webster earned three letters for Michigan State from 1964-66. The two-time consensus All-American and two-time all-conference selection helped MSU to a combined record of 19-1-1 in 1965-66 as the Spartans won back-to-back Big Ten Conference and National Championships. As a senior, Webster recorded 93 tackles, including 10 for losses. In 1967, he became the second Spartan football player to have his jersey number (No. 90) retired. Webster was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
Webster was the first draft choice of the Houston Oilers. He was AFC Rookie of the Year. He played five years with Houston, two with Pittsburgh, and three with the New England Patriots.
After his professional football days, Webster was named athletic director of Gulf Coast Community Services in Houston, working every day with underprivileged children.
Webster died from heart failure in April 2007 at the age of 61.

The George Webster Memorial Scholarship was established to help former MSU athletes who did not graduate from MSU after participating on various Spartan teams. Such scholarship meant a lot to MSU football legend George Webster who returned to MSU many years after his professional playing days to earn his college degree. Webster felt strongly that we should not forget those who represented us through Spartan sports. The scholarship was created in 2007 with an endowment by Club member Jim Nelson.

The scholarship is given to former MSU athletes selected by the scholarship committee for the purpose of completing the academic work needed to obtain their degree at MSU. Candidates must demonstrate the persistence, resilience, respect and dignity of George Webster. Each recipient must become familiar with the values Webster demonstrated, and replicate Webster's encouragement and service to those with special needs, even while he endured many of life's trials and tribulations.

Current selection criteria:

The Candidate must be eligible for re-admission to MSU

The Candidate must submit a personal statement similar to re-enrollment process at MSU indicating why they didn’t graduate and what they have done in the intervening years

The Candidate must be no more than 15 years removed from the last year of full-time enrollment

The Candidate must have earned a minimum of two MSU varsity letters

The Candidate must have been on athletic scholarship in any MSU sport

If you are interested in making a contribution to the George Webster Memorial Scholarship fund, please contact the Club, or simply send your contribution to: Ralph Young Fund, George Webster Scholarship Fund, 200 Spartan Way, East Lansing, MI 48824.

Year	Recipients
2008	Dimitry Bernard, Little John Flowers, Craig Jarrett, Jason Randall
2007	Reggie Garnett, Richard Newsome, Antonio Smith (basketball)

2008 Recipients

Dimitry Bernard - Major: Interdisciplinary studies - Human Resources; Hometown: New York, NY. Background: General manager of a fitness club; married to an MSU grad; 3-year-old daughter; resides in Indiana; played for MSU in 1999-2001. Expected graduation date: May 2008

Little John Flowers - "My major is communication and I will graduate this May. I'm from Kalamazoo Michigan and came to MSU in 1998. I played football all 4 years and left in 2001 when I was picked up by the New York Jets. I was with the team on and off for 4 years. I also spent a training camp with the New York Giants. I then got hurt and decided to come back to MSU and accomplish another goal of mine and get two degrees."

Craig Jarrett - "I started my career at MSU in 1998 coming from a small Southern town, Martinsville, IN. After starting for four years at punter at State, I was selected in the 6th Round of the NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. The next 3 years, I was a journeyman in the NFL bouncing from one team to the next. I realized that I was chasing a dream that may or may not happen, and I felt it was time to close one chapter of my life and begin a new one. That is when I decided to come back to MSU to finish my degree. I had to pay for the first year on my own and it truly showed me the significance of what I used to have while I was on scholarship, and also what I had taken for granted many years before. I would like to be a great ambassador for the George Webster Scholarship and personally thank each of the directors for everything they have done for me."

Jason Randall - "My major is telecommunications. I will be receiving my degree in May 2008. I was born in Los Angeles in 1982. My parents are John and Deborah Randall. I was raised in Muskegon Heights, MI. I was a three sport athlete at Muskegon High School, but my main focused sport was football. I recieved a full scholorship to play football at MSU. I played for the Spartans from 2001 to 2004 seasons. My senior year, I recieved All Big Ten Honors for football. I was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Lions in 2005 for one year. I also played for the Berlin Thunder in the NFL Europe League in 2006. For the 2006 NFL season, I signed with the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, and the New York Giants. I stayed with the Giants until Fall 2007."