COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- An unselfish volunteer of his time and talents in community and campus activities and organizations, a role model as a student-athlete, and a civic-minded ambassador for the university.
Those are just some of the outstanding character traits and attributes that describe Zach Malone, helping lead to his selection as the Athletic Department's February recipient of the monthly Unsung Leader Award.
Malone was nominated for the honor by Dr. Lance Jasitt, assistant athletic director for academics and student welfare.
"I truly believe that anyone would be impressed with Zack's maturity, integrity, and commitment to academic achievement." Jasitt said.
"In the short amount of time that I have known Zach, it is easy to see that his number one character trait is his selflessness," said assistant football coach Dontae Wright. "In every aspect of his life, all that matters to him is giving everything he has for the betterment of others; it is never about himself."
A 6-foot-3, 245-pound defensive end, Malone has been a member of the Golden Eagle football steam for four seasons, including one year as a redshirt in 2012-13. The son of Patrick and Melanie Malone, he is a 2012 graduate of Chester County High School, and is majoring in civil engineering. His younger brother, Cory, is also a four-year member of the Tech football program.
After sitting out the 2012 season as a redshirt, Zach was on the roster for the past three seasons. He saw action in one game in 2013 and three games in 2014, and last year became a fixture on the special teams and played in 10 games.
While his playing career has been modest, it's his contributions to the team and the university that have gotten people's attention.
"Zach would take the right and just path rather than to benefit from the deficiencies or shortfalls of others," Jasitt said. "He is willing to share his knowledge and his skills to better the team and the communities in which he is a member."
Jasitt also described Malone as a "humble and compassionate" student-athlete.
"He has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches as an honest, diligent, and academically strong student-athlete who has contributed to the University as a member of the Tennessee Tech football team," Jasitt said.
Academic Advisor Ashlee Kiser, who coordinates tutoring efforts for Golden Eagle student-athletes, supported Malone's nomination.
"He applied to be a tutor, and I asked him to tutor a classmate who is also on the football team," Kiser explained. "Zach stated that he did not feel it would be appropriate to receive compensation as a tutor for a class he is currently taking, and volunteered to work with the student for free."
His community service efforts also show his compassion and concern.
In February, he volunteered to assist with Wheel Chair Olympics at Signature Health Care of Putnam County, and also dedicated nearly five hours of service during three visits to White Plains Academy, a grades 5-12 Alternative School for at-risk youth. Earlier this month, Malone assisted the TTU Student Government Association with voter registration.
"Zach is just an overall great student and kid, who unselfishly gives of his time and talents to help others on campus and in the community," said Academic Advisor Leveda Dexter.
The Unsung Leader Award was created in 2014-15 in order to recognize leadership by Tech's student-athletes. An award presented each month throughout the academic year.
The previous Unsung Leader Awards for 2015-16 have gone to McKenzie McCloud (soccer/September), Luke Woodason (football/October), Stephen Bush (football/November), Tyler Brazelton (baseball/December), and Sarah Brandt (track/January).
"This award recognizes leadership, which many times isn't reflected in headlines or other ways," said Director of Athletics Mark Wilson. "Sometimes it's behind-the-scenes leadership that makes everybody better.
"These young men and women are leaders, pure-and-simple, not doing the right thing for recognition but to make themselves, their teammates, and their teams better," Wilson said.
One student-athlete each month, nominated by members of the athletics staff, is selected and recognized for exemplifying outstanding leadership qualities. The leadership can be shown on the field, in the weight room, at practice, in the classroom, in study hall, on campus, in the community, for a student club or organization.
This award honors a varsity student-athlete who has made a positive impact on their team and the Tennessee Tech community as a whole, through his or her dedication to demonstrating leadership traits, such as:
* Keep Learning, Growing, and Improving
* Follow Through with Excellence
* Accomplish More than Expected
* Inspire and Motivate Others
Unsung Leader Award winners in the initial season in 2014-15 were Ellen Conti (volleyball in September), Austin Tallant (football/October), Geoffrey Sambu (cross country/ November), Courtney Smith (volleyball/ December), Jordan Hopkins (baseball/ January), and Olivia Bennett (softball/February), Haley Davidson (golf/ March), and Mariah Dean (basketball/April).
