By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It takes a lot to be a leader.
Sometimes you have to do more than everyone else, make the tough decisions, be more than is asked of you, show courage in the heat of battle.
As the 2015 football season wore on, Stephen Bush showed that he was a leader time and time again.
On the football field, he excelled.
In the classroom, he made fantastic grades.
As a leader, he was top-notch.
And that's why the awards selection committee named Bush as the Tech Athletics Man of the Year.
Bush beat out five solid candidates, including three of his football teammates as Radir Annoor, Brett Dillard and Jay Rudwall were all nominated, as well as Anthony Morse (Basketball) and Mitch Thomas (Golf).
Bush is the 15th recipient of the award to come from football out of 24 overall winners. He joins Willie Queen (1995), Gerald Bently (1996), Robert Taylor (1997), Jeff Norman (1998), T.J. Christian (1999), Wes Gallagher (2000), Grant Swallows (2002), Brett Vavra (2005), David McMahan (2006), Anthony Ash (2007), Bradley Thompson (2009), Kelechi Ordu (2011), Corey Watson (2012) and Marty Jones (2015).
"I think being well-rounded is imperative," Bush said. "Athletes at Tennessee Tech are expected to excel in the classroom and community as much as they do on the field. It's a difficult balance, but it is the expectation, and many of the athletes at Tennessee Tech are able to do it because we realize how important it is to reflect ourselves, our families and our university in the right way."
The Cookeville senior entered the 2015 season moving over from his traditional running back slot and into the secondary, a position that the Golden Eagles needed people to play at.
The move paid off – Bush ranked fifth on the team in total tackles with 49, including three tackles-for-loss. He led the Ohio Valley Conference in forced fumbles with three and even recovered one of those.
It wasn't a move that he had to make. It was a move that helped the team.
"I realized at a young age that football is the ultimate team sport," Bush said. "The needs of the team outweigh the personal wants of the individuals on the team. I think that it is the job of the leaders on the team to be the most selfless, doing what is best for the overall success of the team.
"In my situation, I was coming off a season-ending foot injury and, honestly, I didn't have the same quickness anymore. We had a talented backfield and a very young, inexperienced secondary, so it was obvious that the best thing for the team was to switch to safety and add some age and football experience to the defense."
Bush continued, "The transition was tough, but I enjoyed every minute of the challenge and would do it again in a heartbeat and my only regret is that I don't have any years of eligibility left."
And last season had its ups and downs, but it was through the team's leadership that the Golden Eagles were able to rally and finish strong.
"The season last year did not go the way we wanted it to, to say the least," Bush said. "Leadership is just as crucial in tough seasons as it is in good seasons. It took an effort from the top down, starting with Coach (Watson) Brown and the seniors to keep the guys motivated and focused on finishing strong. It mean so much to us as seniors who had put in so much of our hearts, time and energy to end our college football careers with a win."
For his leadership efforts, Bush was awarded the Sonny Allen Team Leadership Award and the Bill Dupes Inspiration Award at the team's awards banquet.
Bush was also highly decorated in the classroom as he was named to the Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association All-Star Team, the CoSIDA Academic All-District team and the National Football Foundation's Hampshire Honor Society.
"Maintaining high academics is something that is expected of all Tennessee Tech athletes," Bush said. "I won't say it's always an easy thing to do, but the support and the resources are there for all athletes to use. Thankfully, I had great parents and coaches in my younger years that instilled a mindset of hard work, discipline and time management when it came to academics and I believe that those values are the main reason I have had success academically."
There's also no doubt that the fact alone that having four of the six candidates for the Man of the Year award shows how much the football program prides itself on academic success.
"I think that's a testament to how well the athletic department and Coach Brown, in particular, prepared us for life after football. Academics are taken very seriously and the football program is fully committed to making academic performance a priority."
Bush plans to continue his graduate studies this fall as he aims to complete his MBA. Then he'll explore his career options and is considering taking the CPA examination.
