Eastern District Male Athlete of the Year
Adidias Arrington, 19, will be attending Virginia Union University in the fall on a full scholarship to play football, most likely in the middle linebacker position.
Before he even begins to think about athletics, though, Arrington knows that studying is as much a part of a young athlete's job as blocking and passing. In fact, his devotion to academics partly accounts for his scholarship offer. He graduated from Booker T. Washington with a 3.1 GPA.
"Most people don't understand the term student-athlete," he says. "The things that you do on the football field and the basketball court, you have to bring that intensity and that competition to the classroom."
Arrington's success in the classroom has also been met with achievement in athletics. He was on Booker T.'s varsity football team for each of his four high school years. There, he played both offense as a tight end and defense as a middle linebacker.
He was also a member of the varsity basketball team for his sophomore, junior and senior years. Officially, his position was small forward, although he was versatile enough to fill in wherever necessary on the court.
Soccer was also one of Arrington's exploits for two years, and much like in basketball, he found himself in numerous spots throughout the field.
Throughout his high school years, Arrington garnered a host of team level awards for both his offensive and defensive positions. His senior year, Arrington was co-captain of the basketball team and head captain of the soccer team.
Arrington's immediate family has had a large bearing on his academic and athletic success. His parents, Anthony and Terrell Arrington, have offered support, discipline and encouragement for many years.
In fact, Arrington's introduction to athletics was at the age of five, playing recreational league basketball with his father as head coach. "My dad taught me everything I know from the beginning," says Arrington. "To this day, he is still a coach for me. My parents support me in everything I do."
Arrington will also remember the sense of team spirit present at his alma mater as another factor contributing to his success. "We're a family at Booker T.," he says. "The team unity is the best I've ever seen."
He provides as examples the support that different athletic programs give to one another: members of the basketball team always come to support the football team and vice versa. Arrington says that he will never forget the bonds he formed at Booker T. and hopes that he will find similarly strong ties in the next stage of his athletic and academic career at Virginia Union. With the positive attitude, optimism and leadership that Arrington exudes, that seems a certainty.
