John Cena has received a ton of honors from WWE fans, and Hollywood jumped on board as well. While he waits for his eventual WWE Hall of Fame induction, the Greatest of all Time is being honored by the NCAA.
John Cena’s Big NCAA Honor
John Cena, along with five others, is set to be honored at the NCAA convention in January with the 2024 Silver Anniversary Award.
The Silver Anniversary Award recognizes individuals on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their college sports careers. Nominations for this prestigious award are submitted by administrators at the awardees’ undergraduate institutions. The selection process is conducted by a panel consisting of former student-athletes and representatives from NCAA member schools and conferences.
Among the 2024 recipients are Nicole Aunapu Mann, Jerry Azumah, Shannon Boxx, John Cena, Misty May-Treanor, and Cindy Parlow Cone. These individuals will be presented with the 2024 Silver Anniversary Award during the NCAA Convention Welcome and Awards Presentation on January 10th in Phoenix.
John Cena’s NCAA Career
John Cena is already in Springfield’s Hall of Fame. This induction was given to him 8 years ago.
The press release from the NCAA listed out John Cena’s accomplishments in College Football, which saw him serve as a team caption for the 1998 Springfield football team.
As a student-athlete: John Cena served as one of three captains on the 1998 Springfield football team that went 9-2 and advanced to the Division III tournament. At season’s end, the accolades rolled in for the senior, as he was named a Hewlett-Packard Division III first-team All-American, a Football Gazette All-American, an Eastern College Athletic Conference New England/Northeast Division III All-Star and a New England Football Writers Division II/III All-Star. A three-time Freedom Football Conference All-Academic honoree, Cena was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015 and was honored at Springfield College’s 40 Under 40 Awards Celebration in 2017.
As a professional: While football ended for Cena after his time at Springfield, he put his athleticism to use as a professional wrestler. Now, he’s one of the most recognizable sports and entertainment faces in the world as a World Wrestling Entertainment superstar and 16-time world champion. He is also well known as an actor and former rapper. His philanthropic work is just as notable. Cena has been especially involved with Make-A-Wish, granting more than 650 wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses, which is more than anyone else involved with the organization. He’s also been an advocate in anti-bullying efforts and promoting the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. Additionally, he’s been heavily involved with the Susan G. Komen organization, which strives to eradicate breast cancer, and has worked with WWE to raise more than $1.5 million to support that mission. The collection of these efforts led to him receiving the 2018 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award in recognition of his leadership as a philanthropist.
John Cena has a huge Hollywood career ahead of him, so he will remain in the public eye for years to come. This achievement from the NCAA is still one that he is very honored to receive.
The ceremony on January 10th will be a special one for John Cena. We have not heard whether he will make the trip to receive that honor personally.