Courtesy Westfield State Sports Information

Westfield State senior Brett Ralph has been named the recipient of the DeOrmond Tuss McLaughry Award presented annually to the outstanding college football scholar-athlete in Western Massachusetts.

The award is given by the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Area colleges eligible for the prestigious award are AIC, Amherst, Springfield, Williams, UMass Amherst, Western New England, and Westfield State.

Ralph is the first Westfield State football player to receive the honor in the 28-year history of the Westfield State football program. He accepted the award at the National Football Foundation's scholar-athlete awards dinner on Sunday, April 8, at the UMass Amherst Campus Center.

"We are very proud of Brett," said Westfield State head football coach Steve Marino. "And he gave an excellent speech in front of 600 people (when he accepted the award)."

Ralph was a four-year starter on the offensive line for the Owls and currently has a 3.87 grade points average with a double major in finance and economics. He is a member of two honor societies and completed a corporate securities internship this past summer at Babson Capital Management in Springfield.

The East Longmeadow resident also received valuable work experience as a student assistant to the facilities manager at the Westfield State field house and as a head counselor at the Pine Knoll Activity Center in East Longmeadow.

A scholar-athlete in the truest sense, the East Longmeadow resident is very involved in extracurricular activities at Westfield State, mostly in leadership roles. His activities include: economics society president, student ambassador, college daily tour guide, student-athlete advisory board president, and a Westfield State representative to the Massachusetts State College Athletics Conference (MASCAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).

"It's been a pleasure having Brett at Westfield State the past four years," said Westfield State athletics director Richard Lenfest. "He is a very mature, focused and intelligent young man who is going to be a success in whatever he does."