Courtesy of Wayne State Athletic Communications
DETROIT -- Wayne State University graduate student offensive lineman Lane Potter (Hudsonville, Mich.) has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's (GLIAC) Jack H. McAvoy Award, which is presented annually to a GLIAC football player who best combines outstanding character and leadership on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
The award is named for former Hillsdale College director of athletics and head football coach, Jack McAvoy, who was instrumental in the founding of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC), now known as the GLIAC.
Potter becomes the third Wayne State player to receive this coveted award and the first since former standout running back/returner Josh Renel in 2011. WSU's first honoree was Matt Fishburn in 1997, the second year of the award.
"We are very proud of Lane Potter for all that he has accomplished on and off the field," stated WSU head coach Paul Winters. "He is a leader with his words and his actions. He represents everything a Wayne State Warrior should be, with his community service, his play on the field and his commitment to excellence in the classroom!"
On the gridiron, Potter started all 44 games (17 at RT in 2017 and 2021; 11 at RG in 2018; and 16 at LG in 2019 and 2021) in his collegiate career. WSU's Offensive Rookie of the Year for 2017, he was voted to the All-GLIAC Second Team in both 2019 and 2021. The 2020-21 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Pat Riepma Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, Potter was Wayne State's nominee for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy® in both 2020 and 2021. In addition, he served as a team captain the last two seasons. Potter has also been a member of the WSU Student-Athlete Leadership Council.
Last week, he was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team after garnering CoSIDA First Team Academic All-America honors for 2020-21.
Potter earned a bachelor's degree in Global Supply Chain Management in December 2020 (three-and-a-half years) and is currently pursing a master's degree in Business Administration. He has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) all eight semesters, including one 4.00 term.
In addition to his ability on the football field and in the classroom, Potter was also very active in the community. He worked youth football camps in multiple years; made lunches for the homeless as part of the Hashtag Lunchbag series in 2017 and 2018; was a multiple-time participant for the Wayne State Food Drive and Bottle Drive in 2018; did math with students at Margaret Black Elementary School in 2018 and 2019; assisted the WSU Football program with the "Be the Match" Bone Marrow Drive; participated in the WSU Athletics Department Basic Needs Drive; and was part of the group that assisted with the Salvation Army Sandwich Bed and Bread Club trucks in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
