Devin and Jason McCourty receive highest honor for Rutgers alums

Former Rutgers defensive back Devin McCourty has won a Super Bowl ring with the New England Patriots. He is one of only three players in NFL history to be named an All-Pro at cornerback and safety. And he has twice been a finalist for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.

Jason McCourty was a semifinalist for the Draddy Award, which is considered the "Academic Heisman," while at Rutgers. A sixth-round pick in 2009, he has become a team captain for the Tennessee Titans. And he has been a finalist for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.

The McCourtys have added another honor to those long lists of accomplishments, as the twin brothers have been named to the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni.

"This is right up at the top with (the other honors)," Jason McCourty said in a phone interview with NJ Advance Media. "We've been blessed to have really good football careers so far and we try to do our part in giving back and doing things in the community. To be recognized for an award like this, when you see that there's not many people that they've given this award to, and you see the honor that it comes with, it's really humbling and you're excited. It means a lot not only to myself, but to my mom and to our family. It's just something that will always be there."

The McCourtys have raised more than $400,000 for their Tackle Sickle Cell campaign, which is partnered with the New Brunswick-based Embrace Kids Foundation. They also host free youth football camps in their hometown of Nyack, N.Y., every summer.

The Rutgers' Hall of Distinguished Alumni currently has 223 members, including Olympic gold medalist Carli Lloyd, chef Mario Batali, actor James Gandolfini and football pioneer Paul Robeson. All alumni are eligible for nomination and the inductees are determined by the Rutgers University Alumni Association's awards and recognition committee.

The McCourtys and three other new members of the Hall of Distinguished Alumni -- Occidental Petroleum Corporation CEO Stephen Chazen, executive chair of Sigma Capital Phuti Mahanyele and Stand Up To Cancer CEO Sung Poblete -- will be honored in a ceremony on May 7.

"It is the top award that we give to alumni each year. It recognizes them for achievements in career, philanthropy, public service and support for the university," said Donna Thornton, Rutgers' vice president for alumni relations. "(The McCourtys) are not only leaders on the respective teams that they belong to in the NFL, but they are also leaders in their communities and they work together to support a very important cause with the Embrace Kids Foundation through their Tackle Sickle Cell efforts. They've achieved recognition within their own field and we're proud to be able to honor them with this award and recognize them for being outstanding young men and outstanding graduates."

Lightly recruited prospects out of high school, the McCourtys never could have imagined they'd receive such an honor when they arrived at Rutgers in 2005.

"It's very humbling," Devin McCourty said in a phone interview with NJ Advance Media. "Just to think of all the people that are in it, you first think, 'I don't deserve this honor.' What I do is such a very small fraction compared what to some of these other people on the list have done to help the Rutgers community and the world. But you take it and understand it doesn't just represent you. It represents everybody that's part of anything you do, whether it's our sickle cell campaign or our youth football camps. Anything we do, it's an honor for everybody that helps out."

Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.

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