DES PLAINES, Ill. – In accepting the prestigious Ed Block Courage Award Tuesday at Maryville Academy, Israel Idonije thanked his Bears teammates, coach Lovie Smith, the McCaskey family—and everyone else in attendance.

“It’s truly an honor to receive this great award,” said the veteran defensive lineman. “Just looking around at the faces, there are literally people from all over Chicago and people that are part of my Chicago family. This is truly the essence of what community is about: people coming together to support one another and to support our children.”

 

Israel Idonije is presented the Ed Block Courage Award Tuesday in Des Plaines.

The Ed Block Courage Award is presented to one player on all 32 NFL teams who best exemplifies a commitment to sportsmanship and courage and serves as an inspiration in the locker room. The winners, who are selected by their teammates, are considered role models. 

Idonije created the Israel Idonije Foundation in 2007 with the focus on a program called “IZZYz KIDz,” which is designed to encourage and sustain students’ attendance, high achievement and good citizenship.

 

Idonije recently returned from his third annual trip to his native Nigeria, where he distributed 1,200 shoes he had helped collect, conducted sports camps and led a volunteer medical team of six doctors and five nurses that treated over 1,000 patients during four free clinics.

Smith told reporters Tuesday that Idonije has done everything the Bears have asked, which includes gaining and losing weight while switching between the defensive end and tackle positions from year-to-year.

“Every day I’ve been head coach for the Bears, I’ve seen Israel Idonije there,” Smith said. “We’ve asked him to sacrifice for the football team so much, so it’s only fitting that he gets a chance to get an award like the Ed Block Courage Award.

“Izzy does quite a bit in the community. It’s his third time coming back from Africa. He made an impact over there and he’s making an impact with our team every day.”

In addition to Smith, others who attended Tuesday’s luncheon included Virginia McCaskey and her sons Patrick and George; and Bears defensive linemen Tommie Harris, Jarron Gilbert, Henry Melton and Matt Toeaina.

Ed Block was a long-time head trainer with the Baltimore Colts who was a pioneer in his field. The Ed Block Courage Award Foundation promotes the prevention of child abuse by raising awareness of the epidemic and assisting agencies that provide for the care and treatment of abused children in communities throughout the NFL.

There are currently 19 Courage Houses connected with NFL teams with plans to add two more in Washington and Philadelphia; the Bears’ Courage House is Maryville Academy’s Crisis Nursery.

Tuesday’s luncheon benefited the Ed McCaskey Scholarship Fund. During his tenure with the Bears, McCaskey was known for his support of and generosity to Maryville. The memorial fund, which benefits Maryville's education programs, was established to carry on the spirit of giving that was so much a part of Mr. McCaskey’s life.