CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The annual winners of the Illinois Athletics Varsity I Awards have been announced and the three honorees will be the guests of honor during Varsity I Weekend reception on Thursday, September 16.
Former Illinois basketball student-athlete Mark Steinberg, a member of the 1989 Flyin' Illini squad that reached the NCAA Final Four, will be recognized with the Varsity I Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a member of the Varsity I Family for postgraduate achievement. Steinberg is Co-Founder and Partner of Excel Sports Management, and has represented some of the world's top athletes.
This year's Honorary I selections are UI graduate and donor Greg Heckman and long-time Athletics administrator Dana Brenner.
Each year, the Varsity I Association honors individuals who have impacted the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics with the Achievement Award, for postgraduate achievement, and Honorary I Award, for those who have made significant contributions to Illinois Athletics.
VARSITY I ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
MARK STEINBERG: Mark Steinberg has represented top golfers as their agent since 1992. He is a Co-Founder and Partner at Excel Sports Management, where he heads the professional golf division. Steinberg has shaped the careers of many of the world's top golfers, including Tiger Woods, former Illini Steve Stricker, Annika Sorenstam, Matt Kuchar and Danielle Kang. A native of Peoria, Illinois, Steinberg earned a spot on the Illinois basketball team as a walk-on and played for the Flyin' Illini in 1989. He earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Illinois.
HONORARY VARSITY I AWARDS
DANA BRENNER: Dana Brenner served more than 30 years with the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics in a variety of administrative and support roles. He came to Illinois as assistant ticket manager in 1980 after holding a similar position at Cal-State Fullerton. In 1984, he was promoted to assistant athletics director in charge of events before assuming the role as associate director of athletics in charge of revenue operations in 1989. During his career with the DIA, he was responsible for facility and event management, while supervising numerous varsity sports. A native of Lompoc, California, Brenner graduated in 1976 from the University of Pacific and currently lives in Champaign with his wife, Kathy.
GREG HECKMAN: Greg Heckman is a trailblazer and standard setter in the world of commodities risk management. During a 24-year career with ConAgra, starting as a merchandiser and concluding as company President and COO of its Commercial Products group, Greg was a driving force of the organization. His unbridled enthusiasm and optimism was evident as he led a group of investors to the formation of The Gavilon Group, LLC, a divesture of ConAgra's Trade Group. After growing the business to an enterprise value of $4.7 billion, he attracted long term investor, Marubeni Corp to purchase the company. Since then, Greg founded Flatwater Partners LLC, a private investment company focused on food, agriculture and energy, and also serves on the Board of Directors at OCI, NV, and Bunge, LTD. As the current Chief Executive Officer of Bunge, LTD, Greg's abilities to envision, influence, mobilize and create value are making an impact. A 1984 UI graduate, Heckman was a major contributor to the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center.
