A selfless act of courage by Jaimire Dutrieuille saved someone’s life and almost ended his.
It is the reason he will receive the NCAA Award of Valor, presented to a current or former student-athlete, coach or administrator who demonstrates “noteworthy bravery.” As guidelines state, someone who, when “confronted with a situation involving personal danger, averted or minimized potential disaster.”
Dutrieuille, a wide receiver at Slippery Rock from 2012-15, will receive the award virtually at 7 p.m. Jan. 13 during the NCAA Convention’s Honors Celebration.
The valor award is one of five given out by the NCAA and is not presented every year; only when it is warranted.
Dutrieuille will be the 23rd winner since the award began in 1974.
His story is riveting.
The former standout at Woodland Hills was sitting on a friend’s front porch on May 28, 2019, when he heard the bang-pop-bang of gunshots.
Acting almost instinctively, Dutrieuille, nicknamed “Duty,” did his.
He used his body to shield a 9-year-old girl who was on the porch with him, a friend and an infant.
His friend took the baby inside the house, no harm done. But Dutrieuille took three bullets, including one to his head.
He survived the incident, but today deals with sight issues because a bullet hit his optic nerve.
You might say the scare opened his eyes to a new world.
“It’s actually a dream come true, honestly, to become a community figure, because I have always wanted to see better things happen for my community,” Dutrieuille said in an awards announcement from the NCAA.
Dutrieuille works with youths in Braddock. He is a mentor with Team Braddock, a program in which he participated growing up that provides children a shelter and allows them to stay active through sports.
“We focus on those sports mainly as a way to keep the kids busy, but we also help them with their homework, make sure they are staying up with their school,” he said. “And we also check in with their parents, to make sure things are good at home, and that they are staying up on everything they need to.”
Dutrieuille will graduate from Slippery Rock this month with a degree in safety management.
A two-time All-PSAC player, Dutruielle finished his four-year career at SRU with 3,933 all-purpose yards and 27 touchdowns.
