St. John Fisher College’s Scott Harris Jr. and Gary Mervis will be honored by the Rochester Press-Radio Club at its 60th Day of Champions Children’s Charity Dinner on May 18 at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center.
Harris will receive the Paychex Male College Athlete of the Year Award, while Mervis will be given the Morrie Silver Award, which recognizes an individual who make an impact in both the local sports and charity scene.
Cal Ripken Jr. will be the headline award winner for this year’s event. Tickets for the dinner are $125, with a table of 10 available for $1,200. To reserve tickets, please call (585) 340-1460.
Harris claimed Fisher’s first-ever national title by earning medalist honors at the NCAA Division III Championship last May and leading the Cardinals to a third-place finish in the team competition. He was named to the All-American First Team and was selected as the recipient of the 2008 Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer Awards, honoring the nation’s top golfer at his respective level.
Harris, a two-time Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year and a two-time All-American, Harris held the lead from start to finish, and won the individual Championship by firing a four-day total of 285 (+1) on the Chateau Elan Resort’s Woodland and Chateau courses.
Harris recorded eight victories and three more top-ten finishes during the 2007-08 season, and finished among the top ten in all but one tournament.
Mervis will enter his 20th season as a football assistant coach this coming fall and is the longest tenured coach on the Fisher football staff.
Mervis, who was instrumental in the success of Will Bean, a 2004 All-American kicker who ranked second nationally in field goals per game, makes contributions to the community that exceed the playing field.
A 2007 Fisher Athletics Hall of Famer, Mervis is the Chairman and Founder of Camp Good Days and Special Times, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children, adults and families whose lives have been touched by cancer and other life challenges.
Camp Good Days sponsors Fisher’s annual Teddi Dance, which has been a fundraising tradition at the College for the past 27 years. He is also the sponsor and co-founder of the Fisher Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the driving force behind the creation of the Courage Bowl, Fisher’s annual game against the University of Rochester, dedicated to the children of Camp Good Days, which will be played this year for the third straight season.
Mervis, who was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree by Fisher in 2005, resides in Pittsford with his wife Wendy.