Brian Dooley Wins The Disney Spirit Award
The Walt Disney Company has awarded the 2023 Disney Spirit to Eastern Michigan football player Brian Dooley.
Before the season, Dooley showed character, strength, and spirit when he donated his football scholarship to another Eastern Michigan player, Zack Conti.
Photo: Disney Parks Blog
Conti, who initially had to try out to make the team, had been working multiple jobs and donating blood plasma for the money to pay for college. He did this while his mother was fighting polycystic kidney disease, which typically requires transplant surgery.
Dooley, whose mother is a nurse and father is a truck driver, is a graduate student in his final season at Eastern Michigan. He had been team captain for several years and helped lead the Eagles to a bowl game.
“It’s Just The Beginning”
After giving away his scholarship, Dooley is paying for college with his own savings and a loan his mother took out to help cover tuition and expenses.
Photo: Disney Parks Blog
“I think it’s just the beginning. If people see what I’ve done, they might take it to a whole new level,” said Dooley. “I wish I could do more. To me it wasn’t that big of a deal what I did. I was just doing it for one of my brothers. So, hopefully I can do a lot more now.”
The Disney Spirit Award
The Disney Spirit Award has been given out every season since 1996 and honors the most inspiring stories in college football.
“At Walt Disney World, we love the amazing stories that come out of college football every year,” said Adam Ball, vice president of ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. “And we also love the challenge of trying to find one, like Brian Dooley’s, that embodies the indomitable spirit that is at the core of this very special award.”
Photo: Eastern Michigan University
The trophy is designed and created annually by the American Bronze Foundry, which is located a few miles away from Walt Disney World.
Photo: Disney
You can watch Brian Dooley receive the Disney Spirit Award during the Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN. The ceremony will air on Friday, December 8, at 7 p.m. ET.
