OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Paycom Software, Inc. (“Paycom”) (NYSE:PAYC), a leading provider of
comprehensive, cloud-based human capital management software delivered
as Software as a Service, and the Jim Thorpe Museum and Oklahoma Sports
Hall of Fame (OSHOF) today jointly announced an exclusive sponsorship of
the Jim Thorpe Award, presented annually to the top defensive back in
collegiate football. As a result, the accolade will be named the “Paycom
Jim Thorpe Award.”
Now in its 31st year, the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award will be presented at
the Home Depot College Football Awards show in December, hosted by ESPN.
“We are honored to partner with the Jim Thorpe Museum and Oklahoma
Sports Hall of Fame to celebrate college football’s most outstanding
defensive back,” said Paycom’s founder and CEO, Chad Richison.
In addition to the updated award name, the OSHOF museum exhibit
memorializing Thorpe’s legacy will be renamed the “Paycom Jim Thorpe
Exhibit.”
“This multiyear partnership with Oklahoma’s largest technology company
allows the OSHOF to continue its mission of preserving our sports
heritage, while building pride in Oklahoma in the spirit of Jim Thorpe,”
said Eddie Griffin, president of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
About the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is presented to the outstanding defensive
back in college football each year on ESPN and is the OSHOF’s most
distinguished national tribute. Established in 1986, this accolade is
based on performance, athletic ability and character.
A preseason watch list is compiled from schools nationwide and then a
screening committee of OSHOF members monitors the watch list in order to
narrow the roster to 15 semifinalists on the first Monday of November.
The committee reconvenes on the Monday after Thanksgiving to select
three award finalists, who are submitted to a national panel of more
than 50 sportswriters, sportscasters, former players and coaches who
vote to determine the winner.
Each December, the three finalists are invited and required to attend
the ESPN College Football Awards Show in Atlanta. The Paycom Jim Thorpe
Award winner is announced during the live broadcast, along with at least
29 other collegiate football awards. The official award presentation
takes place each February at a formal Oklahoma City banquet with more
than 800 guests, including past award winners, as well as celebrities
and dignitaries.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football
Awards Association, which bestows the most prestigious awards in
American college football.
History of Jim Thorpe
An Oklahoma original and considered one of the most versatile athletes
in sports history, James Francis Thorpe was born in 1887 near Prague,
Okla. A child of Sac and Fox and Potawatomi Indian bloodlines, as well
as French and Irish roots, Thorpe’s Sac and Fox Indian name, Wa-tha-huk,
translates to “the bright path lightning makes as it goes across the
sky.”
Jim Thorpe excelled at football, baseball, track and field and was voted
best football player and greatest athlete of the first half of the 20th
century by the Associated Press and named “Athlete of the Century” in an
ABC poll. Thorpe was the first Native American to become an Olympic gold
medalist, winning two gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon.
A young Dwight Eisenhower, before becoming the 34th president of the
United States, played against Thorpe in college and once said, “My
memory goes back to Jim Thorpe … he could do anything better than any
other football player I ever saw.”
After college, his time as an Olympic athlete and in-between playing
professional baseball, Thorpe signed to play professional football with
the Canton Bulldogs in 1915 for $250 a game. Canton’s attendance
skyrocketed and Thorpe led Canton to several championships.
Off the field, this Oklahoma son was the first president of the
organization now known as the NFL, a charter member of the Pro Football
Hall of Fame, was the subject of a biographical film and was
immortalized on a U.S. postal stamp. During Thorpe’s later years he
focused on Native American issues and sought to procure his tribe’s land
holdings from the federal government and formed a casting company to
encourage Hollywood studios to cast authentic Native Americans for roles.
About the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) is a nonprofit organization
whose mission is to encourage excellence through sports, academics,
health and fitness; preserving our sports heritage while building pride
in Oklahoma in the spirit of Jim Thorpe.
Established in 1986, originally as the Jim Thorpe Association, the
Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame’s main goal is to promote Oklahoma, while
honoring and recognizing great Oklahomans who have represented the state
positively at not only the state level, but also the national and
international levels. Each year, the Association honors five to six
individuals by inducting them into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. In
addition to the Hall of Fame, the OSHOF is nationally recognized for
annually awarding the Jim Thorpe Award to the top defensive back in
college football and the Warren Spahn Award given annually to the best
left-handed pitcher in professional baseball. Throughout the last 31
years, the OSHOF also has been a leading advocate for promoting healthy
lifestyles in the school children of Oklahoma. The OSHOF also is proud
to give back to the community each year through its Bright Path Youth
Programs, including the state’s largest drug-free initiative, Red Ribbon
Week.
About Paycom
As a leader in payroll and HR technology, Oklahoma City-based Paycom
redefines the human capital management industry by allowing companies to
effectively navigate a rapidly changing business environment. Its
cloud-based software solution is based on a core system of record
maintained in a single database for all human capital management
functions, providing the functionality that businesses need to manage
the complete employment lifecycle, from recruitment to retirement.
Paycom has the ability to serve businesses of all sizes and in every
industry. As one of the leading human capital management providers,
Paycom serves clients in all 50 states from offices across the country.
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Source: Paycom Software, Inc.