What: Nate Boyer, a former Longhorn football and NFL player, U.S. Army Green Beret and a humanitarian, will present “From Darfur to DKR: How the World Changed Me.” The talk will serve as the keynote address of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education’s 37th Annual Alderson Lecture and Awards Ceremony.
When: The awards ceremony and lecture will commence at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, with refreshments to follow. Check-in will begin at 6 p.m.
Where: Centennial Room, ninth floor of Bellmont Hall. 2109 San Jacinto Blvd., Austin, TX 78712
Who May Attend: The event is open to the public. Registration appreciated: http://alderson2018.eventbrite.com
Media: Media may interview Boyer prior to the lecture at 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 3.
Background: After serving for six years and several tours for the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, Boyer played football as a walk-on for the Longhorns with no previous organized football experience. After graduating from the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education of the College of Education in 2013 with a physical health and sports degree, he was signed by the Seattle Seahawks.
In 2016, Boyer became an influential figure in the NFL protests against police brutality when he reached out to then San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick, who had been protesting by sitting during the national anthem. Boyer wrote an open letter to Kaepernick to discuss honoring the anthem. The two came up with a middle position of kneeling, as Boyer relayed to Kaepernick that soldiers often honor fallen soldiers by kneeling in front of their graves. The discussion influenced Kaepernick and other NFL players to begin kneeling, rather than sitting, during the anthem.
The Alderson Lecture and Awards Celebration is presented each year in honor of the late Dr. C.J. (Shorty) Alderson and the late Dr. Mary Buice Alderson, former members of the faculty of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education and 2007 inductees of the Kinesiology and Health Education Hall of Honor. 2018 Hall of Honor inductees are Scott J. Mountain, Ph.D., and Col. Deydre Smyth Teyhen, Ph.D., DPT.
