Richard Lapchick to receive Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award at ESPY Awards

Richard Lapchick has spent much of his life championing to make the world more diverse and inclusive while fighting for human rights.

His fight has taken him worldwide, including at UCF, where he helped establish the DeVos Sports Business Management program 22 years ago and The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES).

Lapchick will receive the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award during Tuesday’s ESPY Awards preview show. He also plans to attend the televised broadcast Wednesday.

The award is named in honor of the late ESPN commentator Stuart Scott, who worked as a sports anchor at WESH in Orlando from 1990-93. The award celebrates “individuals that have taken risks and used an innovative approach to helping the disadvantaged through the power of sports.”

Richard Lapchick, the social conscience of American sports, is stepping down at UCF | Commentary

The honor is part of the Sports Humanitarian Awards, which celebrates the impact of athletes, teams and industry professionals who use sports to make a difference in their communities and worldwide.

Lapchick stepped down as chair of the DeVos program in 2021 but still teaches a class and remains the director of the TIDES program — the organization that puts out annual report cards grading college athletics and professional sports leagues on their demographics and diversity.

He was named the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year in 2021, an award presented by the Muhammad Ali Center.