Two members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Hall of Champions were honored at the recent college basketball coaches conventions. Nevada women’s basketball coach Jane Albright was presented the Carol Eckman Award by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and former FCA president and Wisconsin men’s basketball coach John Erickson was presented the Guardians of the Game Leadership Award by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Albright (@janeygal on Twitter) was chosen to receive the Carol Eckman award, which is presented to the WBCA member coach who best represents the character of the late Carol Eckman, the mother of the collegiate women's basketball national championship. Eckman organized the first women's basketball championship at West Chester State College in 1969 and continued to garner recognition and support for the women's game until her death from cancer in 1985.

Albright, who has also served as the head coach at Wichita State, Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, was inducted into FCA’s Hall of Champions in 2001.

Erickson was presented the Guardians of the Game Award as part of the NABC’s national awareness and education program of the same name. The goal of the program is to focus attention on the positive aspects of basketball and the role coaches play in the lives of student-athletes, in addition to the contributions coaches make to their communities. The Guardians of the Game program emphasizes four core values: advocacy, education, leadership and service. The leadership award is presented to a coach who provides moral and ethical leadership on issues affecting the game of basketball and society.

Erickson served as FCA’s national president from 1972-88, the longest tenure of any of FCA’s seven presidents. He came to FCA after coaching at Wisconsin and serving as an executive with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, where he drafted Lew Alcindor with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1969 NBA Draft. Erickson, who became a Christian following an FCA Camp in 1960, was elected to FCA’s Hall of Champions in 2002.

The awards presented to Albright and Erickson extended the FCA-related highlights of the conventions, where FCA sponsors its own awards. Alabama coach Kristy Curry was presented the Kay Yow Heart of a Coach Award at the WBCA convention, and Mercer coach Bob Hoffman was presented the John Lotz “Barnabas” Award at the NABC convention.