Pitt announced Tuesday morning that senior wide receiver Tre Tipton has been named one of this year’s recipients of the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award. The award is given out by the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals, or N4A, every year to honor student-athletes “who have overcome great personal, academic, and/or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics”.
After years of dealing with injuries sent him into a fierce bout with depression, Tipton fought his way out of a dark place and founded the non-profit organization L.O.V.E. (Living Out Victoriously Everyday) that seeks to “empower, provide hope and build a community for collegiate student-athletes who are dealing with mental, emotional, and physical struggles”.
“I am extremely blessed and thankful to receive such a prestigious award in honor of the great Wilma Rudolph,” Tipton said. “My story is about how my life has changed over time. I hope that my story can help change the perspectives of people in their own lives. Adversity is a comma in the sentence of life, not a period.”
Tipton will play in a Pitt uniform for the sixth season in 2021, after 39 career games played and four separate season-ending injuries.
