Hindman Wall Spartan Warrior Award

In honor of former University of Tampa athletics director Hindman Wall, baseball alum Russell Bruno sponsors a scholarship named the Hindman Wall Spartan Warrior Award. This award is presented annually to the Spartan player who demonstrates on-the-field and off-the-field dedication with his peers and within the community.

The athletic director from 1991-99, Hindman Wall, oversaw three baseball national championships and increased funding for all Spartan sports to help UT become a national powerhouse in college athletics. Following his retirement as AD, Wall then served the university as a development officer in the Development Department until 2006.

A leader and mentor, Hindman Wall was instrumental in the development and success of baseball alum Russell Bruno. The 1998 national champion and member of the UT Athletics Hall of Fame now funds the annual award.

Wall quadrupled Tampa's Sword & Shield fund raising campaign, increased scholarship dollars for women's athletics, started women's soccer, promoted women's rowing to NCAA status, and added lights to the baseball and softball facilities during his time as AD.

The Athletic Department had one of the highest performances in terms of academic ranking and retention on campus during the time he was AD. Tampa athletic teams won four NCAA Division II championships, finished national runner-up twice, ranked 17th in the nation in 1998 in the Sears Directors Cup standings and Tampa won four Mayor's All-Sports Cup championships and 20 conference championships. Wall served on every committee in the conference and was chair of the Finance Committee and the Marketing Committee.

Wall was also a member of the NCAA Championships Committee. Previously he served on the NCAA Council, was chair of the College Football Association athletic directors and in 1982 was men's basketball tournament director of the Division I Final Four. In 1999, he was presented the General Robert R. Neyland Lifetime Achievement Award by the All-American Football Foundation. This is an annual award given to a selected athletic director and includes Wall's tenure at the University of Cincinnati, Tulane University and Tampa. While serving as the Chairman of the University of Tampa Hall of Fame and Banquet Committee until 2006, Wall has also served as the President of the Tampa Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame. He has also been on the board of directors for the Hall of Fame Bowl, Village Bank, Bryant-Jordan Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce.