Dede Robbins and her family, long-time supporters of UTEP Athletics, are now sponsoring the Miners’ annual year-end honors show, the Golden Pick Awards. The Golden Pick Awards are organized and presented by UTEP student-athletes.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic prohibiting large gatherings for the immediate future, this year’s Golden Pick Awards will be presented virtually.
From now through May 1, the award winners will be announced on UTEP Athletics’ official Facebook and Twitter platforms. MVP’s for each sport were selected by the head coaches. Nominations for the following specialty awards were submitted by the head coaches, and winners were determined based on a vote by members of the UTEP Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Male Athlete of the Year
Female Athlete of the Year
Best Comeback
Moment of the Year
Male Newcomer of the Year
Female Newcomer of the Year
Team of the Year
Thomas Howard Walk-On Award
Unsung Hero
In addition, awards are being presented to the team with the most community service hours, and the highest collective grade point average. The Dr. Louis Robbins Award for Academic Excellence will be presented to the senior with the best cumulative GPA.
The Robbins family, including Dede, her sister Rachel, and their parents, Louis and Marie, have been life-long supporters of UTEP Athletics. Dede has made prior gifts to the track and field program, and continued her commitment to UTEP student-athletes this year by setting up an athletic scholarship fund, and by sponsoring the Golden Pick Awards.
“My father attended Texas Western (now UTEP) on a track and field scholarship, so we are especially proud to support UTEP student-athlete scholars,” Robbins said. “My family has so many wonderful memories of attending UTEP sporting events together, and we are thrilled to give back to UTEP by creating a scholarship fund for the next generation of student-athletes, and by recognizing the outstanding achievements of those student-athletes through the endowment of the Golden Pick Awards.”
“Dede’s kindness and generosity has made a great impact as she continues to strongly affect the lives of our student-athletes,” UTEP Director of Athletics Jim Senter said. “We’re thrilled to have the Robbins family on board as the sponsor of the Golden Pick Awards, a tremendous event for all the Miners.”
