McMaster athlete receives Liam Stevens Award
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/polizzi.jpg” caption=”McMaster athlete Joe Polizzi receives the Liam Stevens Award from Angela and Dale Stevens. Photo courtesy of Dale Stevens.”]Senior forward Joe Polizzi was honoured as this year's recipients of the Liam Stevens Award. The award was presented at the McMaster Marauder Courtside Club year-end banquet by Liam's parents, Angela and Dale Stevens.
Hamilton native Polizzi, a 6'4″ geography student, has been a mainstay on the Marauder front line for the past four seasons. Despite his relatively small size for a forward, Polizzi was never
outworked for a rebound, and more than held his own against much larger opponents in the paint.
The award is named for Liam Stevens, who passed away in February 2001 at the age of 22 months. It is presented annually to the Marauder player who best exempliflies the qualities of positive attitude, hard work and determination.
Previous winners include Doug Doyle (2000/2001), Justin Boye (2001/2002), Charles Kissi (2002/2003), Steve Martin (2003/2004), Matt Wood (2004/2005), Jeremy Patry (2005/2006), and Martin Ajayi and Adam Steiner (2006/2007).
“Liam was a remarkable child,” said his father, Dale. “He was faced with many obstacles in his short life, including open heart surgery, developmental delays and other medical issues. But through it all, Liam was the happiest, most determined child in the world. He would bounce back from every setback, happier and more full of life than the time before.”
Following his passing, Angela, an elementary school teacher in Dundas, and Dale, a 19-year McMaster employee and currently the accountant in the School of Nursing, decided to honour him.
In addition to the Liam Stevens Award, a fund was established in his name at the McMaster Children's Hospital. For more information about the fund, or to donate, please contact Dale Stevens at
stevensd@mcmaster.ca.
“A lot of times in the sporting world, the phrase 'plays with pain' is thrown around,” said Dale. “It's often used too freely to seemingly describe any athlete who competes with even a small amount of discomfort. Not in this case. Joe Polizzi is the poster athlete for 'plays with pain'. He spent his entire career with one injury or another, but never complained, went about his business, and had a very good tenure in the Maroon and Grey. Anyone putting on the McMaster uniform should use Joe as an example of someone who exudes effort and passion for the game.”
