GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Tamara James, a former All-Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball standout at the University of Miami and the current mayor of Dania Beach, Florida, will be the keynote speaker at the annual Cone Health ACC Postgraduate Luncheon presented by ESPN and hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club. 

The luncheon is set for 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 12, at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel in Greensboro.

The ACC will honor 45 student-athletes selected for the 2017 Weaver-James-Corrigan Award, including three student-athletes who will receive the Thacker Award. An additional nine student-athletes who plan to pursue professional careers in their chosen sports will be recognized as honorary recipients. In addition to recognizing each postgrad scholar honoree, the ACC will present its annual Game Changers Award for the 2016-17 academic year.

On November 8, 2016, Tamara James was elected mayor of Dania Beach, the oldest community in Broward County, Florida. James was a standout guard at South Broward High School, garnering Nike, Gatorade and McDonald’s All- American honors. She was named the Florida Player of the Year in 2002 while leading her team to three consecutive state titles. 

From the moment she put on a University of Miami uniform, she made her mark on the Hurricane Basketball record books. James registered one of the best freshman seasons in UM history, becoming the only rookie in Big East history to lead the league in scoring, with an average of 21 points per game. 

With Miami’s move to the ACC in 2004-05 under new coach Katie Meier, James became only the second player in NCAA history to lead two conferences in scoring, averaging 22.3 points per game, fifth-highest in the NCAA. She was named first team All-ACC and an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press and WBCA/Kodak. 

In her senior season, James led the ACC in scoring with an average of 21.5 points per game. She finished her college career with 2,406 points and holds school records for most free throws attempted and made, is third in career free throw percentage (.783) and is sixth in steals. Her 20.4 points per game career average ranks third in school history. She was a three-time first team All-Conference selection and a three-time Associated Press honorable mention All-American. 

James was a first round pick (eighth overall) by the Washington Mystics in the 2008 WNBA draft and played professionally for nine years, mostly overseas in Turkey, Spain and Israel, helping her teams win three championships. She was selected to the ACC Women’s Basketball Legendsw Class of 2012. She graduated UM with a Bachelor of Arts degree and resides in Dania Beach with her son, Dion, where, in addition to her duties as a leader in town government, she devotes time to the Tamara James Foundation, striving to help build healthy, strong communities. 

The Weaver-James-Corrigan and Jim and Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree following completion of their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $5,000 toward his or her graduate education. Those honored have performed with distinction in both the classroom and their respective sport, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.

In addition to those receiving scholarship funds, nine student-athletes will receive the Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award. They include Georgia Tech’s Harrison Butker (football), Duke’s Christina Gibbons (women’s soccer), Wake Forest’s Jacori Hayes (men’s soccer), Louisville’s Dolly Nyemah (track and field), Notre Dame’s Sergio Perkovic (men’s lacrosse), Miami’s Davon Reed (men’s basketball), North Carolina’s Ronald Schneider (men’s tennis), Clemson’s Deshaun Watson (football) and NC State’s Alexia Zevnik (women’s swimming).

The Weaver-James-Corrigan Award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver and Bob James, as well as Gene Corrigan, the first three ACC commissioners. 

The league’s first commissioner, James H. Weaver, served the conference from 1954-70 after a stint as the Director of Athletics at Wake Forest University. His early leadership and uncompromising integrity are largely responsible for the excellent reputation enjoyed by the ACC today.

Robert C. James, a former University of Maryland football player, was named commissioner in 1971 and served in that capacity for 16 years. During his tenure, the league continued to grow in stature and became recognized as a national leader in athletics and academics, winning 23 national championships and maintaining standards of excellence in the classroom.

Eugene F. Corrigan assumed his role as the third full-time commissioner on September 1, 1987, and served until August of 1997. During Corrigan’s tenure, ACC schools captured 30 NCAA championships and two national football titles.

Prior to 1994, the Weaver-James postgraduate scholarships were awarded as separate honors. The Jim Weaver Award, which originated in 1970, recognized exceptional achievement on the playing field and in the classroom, while the Bob James Award, established in 1987, also honored outstanding student-athletes.

The Thacker Award, which originated in 2005, is awarded in honor of the late Jim and Pat Thacker of Charlotte, North Carolina. Jim Thacker was the primary play-by-play announcer for the ACC’s first television network. Recipients of the award must demonstrate outstanding performance both in athletic competition and in the classroom and intend to further their education through postgraduate studies at an ACC institution. North Carolina’s Emma Bozek (field hockey), Florida State’s Cole Hensley (men’s swimming) and Duke’s Michael Miller (men’s swimming) are this year’s Thacker Award recipients.