ITHACA, N.Y. – Former Syracuse University quarterback and 1987 Heisman Trophy runner-up, Don McPherson, visited Ithaca College twice during the fall season to speak with Bomber student-athletes about domestic violence on college campuses and the role that students can play in preventing those situations from occurring.

McPherson, who led Syracuse to an 11-0-1 record in 1987, was named a consensus All-American, the Davey O'Brien, Maxwell and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards winner at the conclusion of that season. He would then be drafted in the sixth round by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1988 draft, and played seven years of professional football before retiring in 1994. His collegiate accomplishments were honored in 2008, when McPherson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

McPherson, a feminist and social activist who has spent that last 27 years as a voice in the movement of preventing dating and domestic violence, first came to campus on August 24 to talk with IC's football program and returned to South Hill on September 9 to address the rest of Ithaca's athletics teams in a 90-minute discussion.

When asked why he started in this line of work, McPherson had this to say: 

"I always talk about being the accidental activist in this work. I was working with a program on Long Island and playing football. Then I retired and went to Northeastern to run a program called 'Athletes and Service to America'. One component of this was the program on men's violence against women. I had never heard of it and this whole conversation around masculinity that I never considered. And during that time I was writing a book with a chapter called '29' because I was 29 (years old) before I thought of any of this stuff. Part of it was my own struggles - I was not that guy, I was not the cool guy in the box (I was not a party guy). The whole concept of masculinity, I started thinking the guys I knew and how they were struggling with this so that's when I became hooked on the conversation."

McPherson also discussed his most favorite part about having these conversations with young adults.

"The looks on their faces when you say things that speak directly to what their reality is. There are guys in the room who are all struggling with what this box represents in their lives, and how we don't feel or express ourselves, they're all going through that."

"When I have these discussions, the people listening are on the edge of their seat, paying attention, and hearing what I was saying and feeling it. I can tell you I never know how these conversations are going to go when I enter a room, but within five minutes, I could tell this group was dialed into the discussion and I was energized and fired up, and it was because of them."

During that discussion, McPherson addressed gender stereotypes, accountability among peers, responsibility to yourself and others, and degradation with words.

McPherson has received several honors in recognition of his service, including the Frederick Douglas Men of Strength Award, given by Men Can Stop Rape, Champions for Change, presented by Lifetime Television, The Creative Vision for Women's Justice, presented by the Pace University Women's Justice Center, and a Leadership Award from the National Center for Victims of Crime.  Most recently Don received the George Arents Award, Syracuse University's highest alumni honor and "Letter Winner of Distinction", the highest honor bestowed a former student-athlete.