Bob Basten Excellence in Leadership Award

The Bob Basten Excellence in Leadership Award is given annually to a former Johnnie football player who in his life as an alumnus:

- Has exhibited outstanding leadership traits

- Is involved in his community and alma mater

- Has a sense of fair play carried beyond the gridiron

- Has an overall commitment to excellence

Launched in 2009, the award sprung from a conversation among three SJU Class of 1982 friends: Basten, a former Minnesota Viking and business executive who died in 2012 after 10 years with ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease; Joe Kiley, a Johnnie all-American football player; and Rob Culligan, university vice president for institutional advancement. They wanted to salute Johnnie football players who represent the program's hallmark traits.