Colorado University Athletics
Hansen switched from defense to offense and became an All-Big Eight performer as a senior in 1992.
Hansen To Be Recognized With NCAA's Silver Anniversary Award
December 07, 2017 | Football
First CU Student-Athlete To Earn The Honor
BOULDER — Jim Hansen, a University of Colorado football letterman and Rhodes Scholar, is one of six former college athletes who will receive the prestigious NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, the organization announced Thursday.
The award is in recognition of their collegiate and professional achievements, and annually recognizes distinguished individuals on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their college athletics careers. The recipients are selected by representatives of NCAA member schools and conferences, along with a panel of former student-athletes. Hansen is the first former CU student-athlete to be recognized.
Hansen lettered four years at Colorado (1989-92), was a three-time Academic All-American, earned first-team All-Big Eight honors at offensive guard his senior season, and was awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. He earned an NCAA postgraduate scholarship and was the recipient of the Draddy Award (since renamed for William Campbell), which is widely considered as the "academic" Heisman.
"It's a wonderful honor, and I'm looking forward to sharing the stage with some amazing people," Hansen said. "While at the University of Colorado, I was fortunate to have excellent mentors and support, both athletically and academically as well as in the broader community.
"The foundation that was built and lessons learned during my time in Boulder has carried over to help me continue to be successful in my professional and personal life, and I'm thankful for the recognition the NCAA is providing."
Hansen graduated from CU in 1992 with a degree in aerospace engineering and a 3.94 grade point average; he completed his master's degree in Boulder the following year. He later studied at Oxford, where he received a doctorate in atmospheric physics and dynamics.
Hansen has selected two of his collegiate professors, Dr. David Clough and Dr. Steven Chapra, to present him with the award, which will be occur at the annual honors celebration during the 2018 NCAA Convention on Wednesday, Jan. 17 in Indianapolis.
He has held teaching positions at MIT and Navy, and now serves as the superintendent of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Marine Meteorology Division, where he leads a team of 120 scientists, engineers and support personnel and oversees a $35 million budget annually. In 2012, he received the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his work identifying areas of the globe subject to pirate attack.
In addition to Hansen, the 2018 recipients include former Denver Broncos kicker Jason Elam, Julie Foudy, Nnenna Lynch, David Morrow and Lance Pilch.
The following is a reprint of a feature story provided by the NCAA:
Jim Hansen grew up in the flight path of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and remembers, as a 3-year-old, watching planes take off and land outside his living room window. The son of an aeronautical engineer, Hansen always believed he would design airplanes, which led him to study aerospace engineering at the University of Colorado.
There, Hansen also played as an offensive lineman under coach Bill McCartney, who's in the College Football Hall of Fame. Hansen was an All-Big Eight Conference first team offensive tackle, a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete and winner of the William V. Campbell Trophy (known as the "academic Heisman"). Yet, for all the accolades, the quiet conversations proved more impactful than what transpired in front of roaring crowds.
"I don't remember much about games; I remember more about feelings," he said. "What I remember are my teammates and the relationships I had with them."
Now the superintendent of the United States Naval Research Laboratory Marine Meteorology Division in Monterey, California, Hansen directs a team of 120 scientists, engineers and technical personnel and hopes to capture the same level of camaraderie.
"I feel like I've been spending my entire life trying to recreate what we had at Colorado," he said.
Hansen's and his Colorado teammates' successes share a tragic origin. Quarterback Sal Aunese was diagnosed with inoperable stomach cancer at the age of 21 in March 1989 and died five months later.
"Like all of us, he (seemed) indestructible and immortal," Hansen said. "To watch him get sick with cancer and wither away and die in front of our eyes, it makes me emotional just to talk about it."
Hansen said the tragedy brought the team closer — success on the gridiron was a byproduct of those bonds. The Buffaloes amassed a record of 39-7-3 in his four seasons, played in two Orange Bowls and claimed the 1990 national championship.
"That core group who went through that together," he said, "played for each other."
Hansen earned his bachelor's degree with a 3.94 GPA before completing graduate course work in the field of fluid dynamics. Rather than pursue an NFL career, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and attended the University of Oxford. He was drawn to atmospheric physics and dynamics, and eventually received a Ph.D. in the field from Oxford.
His 6-foot-6 frame stood out in the science lab, but Hansen assimilated into the English culture, happy to learn the intricacies of cricket while sipping a warm beer. And he didn't mention his athletic exploits to his peers. Hansen assumed he would build a career in Europe, but a last-minute decision to attend a presentation by MIT professors, and a lengthy subsequent conversation with them, changed his course.
"If you go to MIT to work in the sciences, the perception is you can't do any better than that," he said. "You've kind of made it."
Hansen climbed the tenure-track ladder at MIT. He published papers and taught, but couldn't shake the sense that something was missing. So he took a sabbatical and joined some colleagues he admired who worked at the Naval Research Laboratory Marine Meteorology Division in Monterey.
Within two weeks of his visit, his plans had changed yet again.
After joining the Navy lab, Hansen rose from founding lead scientist of the probabilistic-prediction research office in 2008 to head of the meteorological applications development branch in 2012. He received the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award for work in identifying areas of the globe subject to the greatest risk of pirate attack. The division develops numerical analysis and prediction systems to support Navy and Department of Defense operations and advances understanding of the environmental impacts on Naval platforms, sensors and systems.
In 2016, seeking the challenge of a leadership position, Hansen set aside his white lab coat and polycarbonate safety glasses for a stone-colored blazer and Windsor-knotted necktie, accepting the role as the division's superintendent. Hansen's new job requires forging relationships within his staff, the Navy and the community. Beyond time in his office or an adjacent lab, Hansen frequently can be found at the Pentagon or on the deck of a Naval warship, searching for ways that he and his team can improve technology to keep sailors informed and safe.
"This business is being part of something that's bigger than itself, which of course, as a football player, gets ingrained into you," he said. "I'll go to bed at night saying I helped people today or I helped the country today. I'm fortunate that I'm in a position where I get to do that all the time."
And he still remains tied to athletics; in his spare time, Hansen volunteers as the president of the local PONY softball league, where he coaches baseball and softball.
The award is in recognition of their collegiate and professional achievements, and annually recognizes distinguished individuals on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their college athletics careers. The recipients are selected by representatives of NCAA member schools and conferences, along with a panel of former student-athletes. Hansen is the first former CU student-athlete to be recognized.
Hansen lettered four years at Colorado (1989-92), was a three-time Academic All-American, earned first-team All-Big Eight honors at offensive guard his senior season, and was awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. He earned an NCAA postgraduate scholarship and was the recipient of the Draddy Award (since renamed for William Campbell), which is widely considered as the "academic" Heisman.
"It's a wonderful honor, and I'm looking forward to sharing the stage with some amazing people," Hansen said. "While at the University of Colorado, I was fortunate to have excellent mentors and support, both athletically and academically as well as in the broader community.
"The foundation that was built and lessons learned during my time in Boulder has carried over to help me continue to be successful in my professional and personal life, and I'm thankful for the recognition the NCAA is providing."
Hansen graduated from CU in 1992 with a degree in aerospace engineering and a 3.94 grade point average; he completed his master's degree in Boulder the following year. He later studied at Oxford, where he received a doctorate in atmospheric physics and dynamics.
Hansen has selected two of his collegiate professors, Dr. David Clough and Dr. Steven Chapra, to present him with the award, which will be occur at the annual honors celebration during the 2018 NCAA Convention on Wednesday, Jan. 17 in Indianapolis.
He has held teaching positions at MIT and Navy, and now serves as the superintendent of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Marine Meteorology Division, where he leads a team of 120 scientists, engineers and support personnel and oversees a $35 million budget annually. In 2012, he received the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his work identifying areas of the globe subject to pirate attack.
In addition to Hansen, the 2018 recipients include former Denver Broncos kicker Jason Elam, Julie Foudy, Nnenna Lynch, David Morrow and Lance Pilch.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
The following is a reprint of a feature story provided by the NCAA:
Jim Hansen grew up in the flight path of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and remembers, as a 3-year-old, watching planes take off and land outside his living room window. The son of an aeronautical engineer, Hansen always believed he would design airplanes, which led him to study aerospace engineering at the University of Colorado.
There, Hansen also played as an offensive lineman under coach Bill McCartney, who's in the College Football Hall of Fame. Hansen was an All-Big Eight Conference first team offensive tackle, a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete and winner of the William V. Campbell Trophy (known as the "academic Heisman"). Yet, for all the accolades, the quiet conversations proved more impactful than what transpired in front of roaring crowds.
"I don't remember much about games; I remember more about feelings," he said. "What I remember are my teammates and the relationships I had with them."
Now the superintendent of the United States Naval Research Laboratory Marine Meteorology Division in Monterey, California, Hansen directs a team of 120 scientists, engineers and technical personnel and hopes to capture the same level of camaraderie.
"I feel like I've been spending my entire life trying to recreate what we had at Colorado," he said.
Hansen's and his Colorado teammates' successes share a tragic origin. Quarterback Sal Aunese was diagnosed with inoperable stomach cancer at the age of 21 in March 1989 and died five months later.
"Like all of us, he (seemed) indestructible and immortal," Hansen said. "To watch him get sick with cancer and wither away and die in front of our eyes, it makes me emotional just to talk about it."
Hansen said the tragedy brought the team closer — success on the gridiron was a byproduct of those bonds. The Buffaloes amassed a record of 39-7-3 in his four seasons, played in two Orange Bowls and claimed the 1990 national championship.
"That core group who went through that together," he said, "played for each other."
Hansen earned his bachelor's degree with a 3.94 GPA before completing graduate course work in the field of fluid dynamics. Rather than pursue an NFL career, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and attended the University of Oxford. He was drawn to atmospheric physics and dynamics, and eventually received a Ph.D. in the field from Oxford.
His 6-foot-6 frame stood out in the science lab, but Hansen assimilated into the English culture, happy to learn the intricacies of cricket while sipping a warm beer. And he didn't mention his athletic exploits to his peers. Hansen assumed he would build a career in Europe, but a last-minute decision to attend a presentation by MIT professors, and a lengthy subsequent conversation with them, changed his course.
"If you go to MIT to work in the sciences, the perception is you can't do any better than that," he said. "You've kind of made it."
Hansen climbed the tenure-track ladder at MIT. He published papers and taught, but couldn't shake the sense that something was missing. So he took a sabbatical and joined some colleagues he admired who worked at the Naval Research Laboratory Marine Meteorology Division in Monterey.
Within two weeks of his visit, his plans had changed yet again.
After joining the Navy lab, Hansen rose from founding lead scientist of the probabilistic-prediction research office in 2008 to head of the meteorological applications development branch in 2012. He received the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award for work in identifying areas of the globe subject to the greatest risk of pirate attack. The division develops numerical analysis and prediction systems to support Navy and Department of Defense operations and advances understanding of the environmental impacts on Naval platforms, sensors and systems.
In 2016, seeking the challenge of a leadership position, Hansen set aside his white lab coat and polycarbonate safety glasses for a stone-colored blazer and Windsor-knotted necktie, accepting the role as the division's superintendent. Hansen's new job requires forging relationships within his staff, the Navy and the community. Beyond time in his office or an adjacent lab, Hansen frequently can be found at the Pentagon or on the deck of a Naval warship, searching for ways that he and his team can improve technology to keep sailors informed and safe.
"This business is being part of something that's bigger than itself, which of course, as a football player, gets ingrained into you," he said. "I'll go to bed at night saying I helped people today or I helped the country today. I'm fortunate that I'm in a position where I get to do that all the time."
And he still remains tied to athletics; in his spare time, Hansen volunteers as the president of the local PONY softball league, where he coaches baseball and softball.
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