WATCH: 2021 Rare Disease Champion Team Member: Tyler Lavine

SMU RUNNING BACK TYLER LAVINE NAMED TO 2021 UPLIFTING ATHLETES RARE DISEASE CHAMPION TEAM
Lavine is one of six leaders in college football that has made a positive and lasting impact on the Rare Disease Community
 
Philadelphia, Pa. (December 6, 2021) – Uplifting Athletes is pleased to announce SMU running back Tyler Lavine as a member of the 2021 Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Team.
 
For more than a dozen years, Uplifting Athletes has celebrated leaders in college football that have made a positive and lasting impact on the Rare Disease Community through its Rare Disease Champion initiative.
 
Uplifting Athletes is honored to have the opportunity to share Lavine's inspiring rare disease story.
 
Joining Lavine on the 2021 Uplifting Rare Disease Champion Team are: Ole Miss punter Mac Brown, Florida State offensive lineman Dillan Gibbons, Temple long snapper Sam Fraley, Northwestern long snapper Peter Snodgrass and Oklahoma State long snapper Zeke Zaragoza.
 
"The 2021 Rare Disease Champion Team represents some of the most high character student-athletes in college football. These individuals have shown fearlessness in the face of adversity, thoughtlessness in a world of selfishness, and compassion to those facing unimaginable challenges," Uplifting Athletes Executive Director Rob Long said. "It is our honor to recognize these individuals that have gone above and beyond to be a beacon of hope for the Rare Disease Community."

Lavine is in his third season on the Hilltop, and has played in 34 games for the Mustangs. In 2021, Lavine is third on the team with 257 rushing yards off 54 carries. He also adds a pair of TDs. The junior has additionally registered 113 receiving yards and a TD off 10 catches. Lavine has 605 career rushing yards and eight TDs on 124 attempts. 

Lavine suffered a broken foot his senior year of high school, underwent surgery and originally committed to Army West Point. He attended prep school there from 2017-18. Going into his freshman year, he broke his foot again in basic training (2018). During a physical, he noted chest pains and it was discovered he had Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, a fatal heart condition. Due to the condition, he was sent home for a year and underwent both foot and heart surgery. While home, he decided to pursue other options and looked at SMU for the great education, program and location. He ended up on the Hilltop in the spring of 2019 as a walk-on and earned a scholarship with the Mustangs in January of 2020.
 
Each member of the 2021 Rare Disease Champion Team will be honored and celebrated during the Uplifting Athletes Young Investigator Draft on Saturday, February 5, 2022 at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.
 
Nominees for the award were solicited from any NCAA FBS, FCS, Division II or Division III institution or college football program nationwide.
 
Syracuse punter Nolan Cooney, Stanford head coach David Shaw, Northwestern defensive lineman Joe Spivak, Austin Peay defensive lineman Josephus Smith and Syracuse quarterback Rex Culpepper comprised the 2020 Rare Disease Champion Team.
 
Past Rare Disease Champion winners consist of seven FBS players including USC long snapper Jake Olson (2016), UCF linebacker Shaquem Griffin (2018) and Auburn wide receiver Sammie Coates (2015), one FCS player, a Division III quarterback, two FBS assistant coaches and an administrator from AFCA. 
 
The Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Team is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA includes the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935.
 
About Uplifting Athletes
A nonprofit organization founded in 2007, Uplifting Athletes inspires the Rare Disease Community with hope through the power of sport. A rare disease is one that affects fewer than 200,000 Americans and typically lacks financial incentive to make and market new treatments. Uplifting Athletes fulfills its mission through a network of college football student-athlete led chapters, Uplifting Ambassadors and Team UA participants.

Since its inception, Uplifting Athletes has raised more than $6 million to develop Uplifting Leaders, create Uplifting Experiences, fund rare disease research and expand rare disease awareness. To learn more about Uplifting Athletes visit upliftingathletes.org