Two Georgia Tech greats were honored by the ACC on Thursday for their commitment to social and racial justice. The conference recognized football All-American Lucius Sanford and four-time ACC high-jump champion Lynn Houston-Moore with the ACC Unite Award.

The conference annually bestows two awards to graduates of each ACC school to individuals who promote and encourage racial equity and social justice through means such as education, partnerships, engagement and advocacy.

Sanford was honored on the field at Tech’s Thursday night game against Virginia at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

During his playing career at Tech (1975-78), Sanford helped pave a path for Black football players and athletes as one of the initial Black athletes to enroll and compete at the institute. As the executive director of Georgia Tech’s Letterwinner Association, Sanford has helped dozens of former letterwinners get connected to jobs through his array of contacts and relationships.

Since her highly successful track and field career at Tech (1995-99), Houston-Moore has gone on to become CEO of HJI Supply Chain Solutions in Louisville, Ky., where she has worked since 2007. She has fulfilled the ideals of seeking racial equity and social justice “by focusing her business model on those who don’t have equitable opportunities” and through her efforts to “create opportunities for employees that might not have otherwise had opportunities to get into the workforce,” according to a Tech news release.

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