Aug. 25, 2016
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice, Fighting Irish All-American and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Alan Page (’67, football) has been named the 2016 recipient of the Notre Dame Monogram Club’s Moose Krause Distinguished Service Award. The award is the highest honor given by the Monogram Club.
The Moose Krause Distinguished Service Award is annually bestowed upon an active Monogram Club member who has achieved notoriety in the following areas:
– Exemplary performance in local, state or national government
– Outstanding dedication to the spirit and ideals of Notre Dame
– Demonstrated responsibility to and concern for their respective communities
– Extraordinary commitment and involvement with youth
Page will be presented with the award during the Monogram Club’s 100th Anniversary Celebration Weekend, which will be held October 28-29, 2016.
“There is no one more deserving of the Moose Krause Award than Justice Page,” said Monogram Club President Kevin O’Connor (’89, lacrosse). “His exemplary career in public service as a distinguished Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court combined with his long-standing commitment to the education of students in his community make Justice Page an ideal choice for this award. On behalf of the Monogram Club Board of Directors and our over 8,000 members, we congratulate Justice Page and we look forward to welcoming him and his family to campus in October.”
Page, a native of Canton, Ohio, earned consensus All-America honors as a defensive lineman and helped Notre Dame to the national championship during his senior campaign in 1966. He enjoyed a 15-year career in the NFL, which included four Super Bowl appearances with the Minnesota Vikings, nine Pro Bowl selections and the 1971 NFL MVP award. He is enshrined in both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
While those remarkable accomplishments place Page among the greatest student-athletes in Notre Dame’s illustrious history, the Monogram Club is honored to recognize Page for the incredible work he has done away from the gridiron.
Page graduated from Notre Dame in 1967 with a degree in political science and he earned his law degree in 1978 from the University of Minnesota Law School while still playing professionally. Page retired from the NFL following the 1981 season and continued practicing law before joining the staff of the Minnesota attorney general.
Page was elected to the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1992 and was re-elected to that position three times before retiring in 2015. He was the first African-American to hold a major state office in Minnesota and a focus of his while on the Court was examining racial bias in the Minnesota justice system.
Another driving force for Page is education and in 1988 he launched the Page Education Foundation with his wife Diane. The Foundation stemmed from Page’s desire to have the country’s education system reach more young people of color.
From its inception, the Foundation has offered money and encouragement to students of color facing incredible barriers to attaining their educational dreams. The Foundation provides financial support in the form of Page Grants to students of color. In return for their awards, the recipients, known as Page Scholars, help develop positive attitudes about education among elementary and middle-school children by volunteering as tutors and mentors in their communities.
Since 1988, the Foundation has provided more than 6,500 Page Grants totaling $13 million in financial support. These Page Scholars have volunteered over 420,000 hours serving their communities.
For the 2016-2017 academic year, the Foundation selected 512 Page Scholars who were awarded $850,000 in grants.
“I doubt that it would have occurred to anyone when I was a student that I would have accomplished the things that I have,” said Page. “But the path that I have traveled is not a path exclusive to me. It is a path available to today’s students and, if taken, will provide the opportunity to do that which they would never have dreamed possible. The key to whatever success I have had can be found in an unwillingness to be satisfied with playing to the level of the competition, an unwillingness to be limited by other’s expectations, a willingness to push beyond my perceived self-limitations, a willingness to be involved in the community around me, and in the belief that we all have an obligation and the power to make this world a better place.”
The Moose Krause Distinguished Service Award is just the latest in an extensive list of accolades Page has received. Some of his many honors include the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award (1992), Rev. Edward Frederick Sorin, C.S.C., Award (1992), NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award (2004), the National Football Foundation Distinguished American Award (2005) and the Reatha Clark King Award for Excellence and Youth Motivation through the Cultural Arts (2009).
“Alan Page has been a distinguished leader and servant of others in multiple areas of life – as a college and professional athlete, as an attorney, and judge, as a popular public speaker and children’s advocate, and as a husband and family man,” said Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C., President Emeritus, University of Notre Dame. “His Foundation has helped thousands of young people reach their potential. We are proud of him as a Notre Dame graduate and a great model for others.”
Past recipients of the Moose Krause Distinguished Service Award include Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. (1986), Ara Parseghian (1998), Rev. Edward A. “Monk” Malloy, C.S.C. (2005), Jerome Bettis (2007), Joe Kernan (2012) and Ruth Riley (2015).
Alan Page Timeline
National champion at Notre Dame (1966)
Graduated from Notre Dame with a political science degree (1967)
First round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings (1967)
15-year NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings (1967-78) and Chicago Bears (1978-81)
NFL champion with the Vikings (1969)
Four Super Bowl appearances (1969, 1973, 1974, 1976)
Nine-time Pro Bowl selection (1969-77)
Six-time first team All-Pro (1969-71, 1973-75)
NFC Defensive Player of the Year (1970 & 1971)
NFL MVP (1971)
Graduated from University of Minnesota Law School (1978)
Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame (1988)
Launched Page Education Foundation (1988)
Minnesota Supreme Court Justice (1992-2015)
Inducted into College Football Hall of Fame (1993)
Learn More About The Page Education Foundation
Complete List Of Moose Krause Distinguished Service Award Recipients
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