David Rowlands Award
Ricardo Ratliffe Wins 2010 David Rowlands NJCAA Male Student-Athlete of the Year
By Gage Axford, NJCAA Student Assistant
The NJCAA is pleased to announce Ricardo Ratliffe of College of Central Florida as the recipient of 2010 NJCAA David Rowlands Male Student Athlete of the Year Award. The David Rowlands Award is given annually to a male NJCAA student-athlete that displays hard work, discipline, ethics and excellence in community college athletics. Ratliffe, a 6'9" - 240 pound basketball talent from Hampton, Va., performed in exemplary fashion, breaking multiple school records and racking up accolades seldom earned in NJCAA basketball.
Throughout his two years in the NJCAA, Ratliffe established an impressive resume, averaging 27 points and 11 rebounds per game during his two seasons at Central Florida. As a freshman last year, Ratliffe set a new school record for total points scored in a season with 798 points, while earning All-Region 8 and First-Team NJCAA All-American honors. He led all scorers in NJCAA DI basketball (26.5 ppg) and ranked 10th in rebounding (11.0 rpg).
Ratliffe continued his dominance during the 2009-10 season, breaking his previous Central Florida record of 798 total points scored in a season by posting a total of 855 points during his sophomore campaign. Along with his season record, Ratliffe set a new school mark for most points scored in a career. His two-year total of 1653 points shattered the previous school record of 1346 points that stood for 25 years. For the 2009-10 season he ranked second in the NJCAA DI ranks in scoring (27.4 ppg) and 10th in rebounds (11.2 rpg).
Ratliffe again earned NJCAA First-Team All-American honors in 2009-10, receiving the honor for the second straight season - a feat only accomplished 13 times in NJCAA basketball history. The last two players to earn First-Team All-American honors in NJCAA DI men's basketball were Larry Johnson (1987-88, 1988-89 - Odessa College, Texas) and Cory Cooperwood (2006-07, 2007-08 - Wallace State CC-Hanceville, Ala.).
To no surprise, Ratliffe was tabbed as the top junior college basketball recruit in the nation this past season. He was heavily recruited by top NCAA Division I programs such as Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Missouri, and South Carolina.
The Virginia native recently made the decision to continue his education and basketball career at the University of Missouri.
Ricardo Ratliffe was one of the top scorers and rebounders in NJCAA DI men's basketball
the past two seasons. Photo courtesy of College of Central Florida.
About the David Rowlands Award
David Rowlands was an active member of the NJCAA. From 1972 to 1988 he was a regional director and from 1975 to 1988 was the chair of the NJCAA baseball committee. Rowlands, a baseball coach at Truman College (Chicago, Ill.), served on the NJCAA gymnastics, golf, executive and eligibility committees. Rowlands was the perfect model of hard work, discipline, ethics and excellence in community college athletics. This award is given annually to the NJCAA Student-Athlete that best exhibits these traits.
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NJCAA ROWLANDS AWARD RECEPIENTS
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Year
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Name
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Sport
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College; City, State
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1992-1993
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Mike Worley
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Basketball
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Coffeyville Community College; Coffeyville, Kan.
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1993-1994
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Eddie Samuel
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Basketball
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Pensacola Junior College; Pensacola, Fla.
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1994-1995
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Joe Michael Robertson
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Football
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Jones County Junior College ; Ellisville, Miss.
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1995-1996
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Doug Thompson
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Baseball
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Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College ; Perkinston, Miss.
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1996-1997
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William Gladness
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Basketball
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Carl Albert State College; Poteau, Okla.
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1997-1998
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Shawn Marion
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Basketball
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Vincennes University; Vincennes, Ind.
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1998-1999
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Anthony Evans
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Basketball
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Neosho County Community College; Chanute, Kan.
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1999-2000
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Mario Toledo
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Tennis
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Georgia Perimeter College; Dunwoody, Ga.
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2000-2001
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Marc Dunn
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Football
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Ricks College; Rexburg, Idaho
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2001-2002
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Cory Patton
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Baseball
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Seward County Community College; Liberal, Kan.
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2002-2003
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Filiberto Rivera
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Basketball
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Southeastern Community College; West Burlington, Iowa
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2003-2004
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Larry Kendrick
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Football
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Pearl River Community College ; Poplarville, Miss.
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2004-2005
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Michael Murray
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Baseball
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Meridian Community College; Meridian, Miss
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2005-2006
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Brian Flores
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Baseball
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New Mexico Junior College; Hobbs, N.M.
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2006-2007
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Cody Jamieson
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Lacrosse
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Onondaga Community College; Syracuse, N.Y.
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2007-2008
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Devron Bostick
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Basketball
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Southwestern Illinois College; Belleville , Ill.
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2008-2009
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Chris Mason
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Cross Country/
Track & Field
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SUNY – Delhi; Delhi, N.Y.
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2009-2010
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Ricardo Ratliffe
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Men’s Basketball
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College of Central Florida
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