JACKSONVILLE – Athletics Director Greg Seitz has presented All-American Long Snapper Josh Brady the 2019-20 Eagle Owl Award.
 
Seitz presented the award to Brady virtually on Wednesday, since the 2020 Athletics Senior Banquet was canceled because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
 
The Eagle Owl Award, which was established in 1994, is given each year to a male and a female senior athlete, who possess several outstanding qualities. To be nominated, the student athlete must be a starter or important reserve during his/her senior season and carry a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher. The student-athlete must excel in his or her sport, be a positive role model for others and exemplify the well-rounded student-athlete.
 
The Female winner will be announced next week.
 
Brady has been the Gamecocks primary long snapper since he stepped on campus in 2016 and has taken his position to new heights during his time on the gridiron for the Gamecocks. 
 
The native of Chattanooga, Tenn., became JSU's first All-American at the long snapper spot, earning those honors in both 2018 and 2019. In the classroom, he earned his business degree early with a 3.2 GPA and is currently pursuing a master's in sports management, where he holds a 4.0 GPA.
 
Brady has been a team captain for the Gamecocks, a rare feat for a position that gets little attention. He was a First-Team All-American in 2019 after earning second-team honors in 2018. Following his senior campaign, he was selected to play in the FCS National Bowl and the Pigskin All-Star Invitational. 
 
He led the Gamecocks to three-straight Ohio Valley Conference titles in football from 2016-18, helping the Gamecocks go undefeated in league play in each of his first two seasons.
 
He has been a member of the Ohio Valley Conference's Commissioner's Honor Roll and was more recently named to the National Football Foundations' 2020 Hampshire Honor Society.
 
As active as Brady has been on campus at JSU, he's been as active in the communities surrounding the JSU campus. He served on the JSU Football Leadership Council for his final three seasons and was on the JSU Football Leadership Council in 2018 and 2019. He's been very involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), for who he has interned and served a s a speaker and emcee at multiple events. He's also been a volunteer chaplain for local teams and served as a camp counselor at several Christian camps.
 
Brady was part of the Gamecocks' volunteer efforts at Rainbow Omega, a faith-based nonprofit organization located in Eastaboga, Ala., providing vocational and residential programs to adults with developmental disabilities, for all four years at JSU. He's also volunteered multiple times with Tim Tebow's Night to Shine, a prom night experience for people with special needs. 
 
He is the 12th football player to win the Eagle Owl Award.
 
Past Male Eagle Owl Winners:
1999-00 - Joey Hamilton (Football)
2000-01 - Brad Smith (Baseball)
2001-02 - Jeremy Sullivan (Football)
2002-03 - Jose Campra (Golf)
2003-04 - C.R. Palmer (Baseball)
2004-05 - Matias Anselmo (Golf)
2005-06 - James Hall (Rifle)
2006-07 - Clay Green (Football)
2007-08 - Clay Whittemore (Baseball)
2008-09 - Gavin Hallford (Football)
2009-10 - Josh Cain (Football)
2010-11 - Curt Porter (Football)
2011-12 - Todd Hornsby (Baseball)
2012-13 - Marques Ivory (Football)
2013-14 - Sam Muegge (Rifle)
2014-15 - Max Holcombe (Football)
2015-16 - Jermaine Hough (Football)
2016-17 – Eli Jenkins (Football)
2017-18 – Justin Lea (Football)
2018-19 - Jason Burnell (Men's Basketball)
2019-20 – Josh Brady (Football)