Dr. Harry Edwards - a Professor Emeritus at Cal and a longtime civil rights campaigner who is a leading authority on the intersection of sports and society – has been named a recipient of the 2025 ACC UNITE Award, the conference office announced Wednesday.

Dr. Edwards' expertise on matters pertaining to athletics, culture and unity has been sought after for years, and he has made unparalleled contributions to amateur and professional sports for more than 55 years. He has published several books and numerous academic and policy articles and is a frequent contributor to national media on topics related to sport and social dynamics.

Dr. Edwards and Dr. Susan Michalczyk are the two recipients of the honor for 2025.

"We are incredibly honored to recognize the fifth annual UNITE Award recipients and celebrate Dr. Michalczyk and Dr. Edwards with this award," ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D., said. "Each honoree represented the very best of our 18 member institutions and has made a lasting impact through their leadership, service, and commitment to creating meaningful change within their communities and beyond."

Originally recruited by San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh, Dr. Edwards has also served as a trusted advisor to the National Football League and has consulted with professional organizations such as the Golden State Warriors. In 1967, Dr. Edwards founded the Olympic Project for Human Rights, which inspired the iconic demonstration by Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico City Games.

"In word, deed, action and academia, Dr. Harry Edwards is a generational gift who has made a generational impact for justice, truth, and unity," Cal Associate Athletics Director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Justice Dr. Ty-Ron Douglas said. "Through his founding of the sociology of sport as an academic discipline and his contributions as a thought leader and professor at the University of California, Berkeley and beyond, his legacy and impact exemplify the best of our University, Cal Athletics and the ACC Unite Award. Dr. Edwards is most deserving of this recognition for a life and career of courageous service and sacrifice."

Dr. Edwards continues to share his insights through his "Last Lectures" series, a 12-part exploration of the evolution, dynamics and impact of sport in modern America.

"It is with profound appreciation and gratitude that I accept the ACC UNITE Award, particularly in these turbulent and challenging times," Edwards said. "As a dedicated scholar-activist over the last six decades, I am actuely aware of ...the fact that the challenges of our circumstances are diverse and dynamic; that our struggle, therefore, must be multi-faceted and perpetual - and THERE ARE NO FINAL VICTORIES!"