National Football Foundation

A true inspiration to his family, friends, teammates, coaches and classmates, Tom Cleaver has exceeded the greatest of expectations, athletically and academically, while he boldly continues to fight Chronic Mylogenous Leukemia. Once it was believed his playing career was over. Today, he leads the conference in receiving.

Despite a long absence from school while receiving treatments and visiting hospitals, Cleaver admirably maintained his impressive academic record. A Political Science major and Economics minor, he is a Dean's List member and is scheduled to graduate in 2005. 

While his triumphs in the classroom are impressive, his gains on the gridiron are remarkable. Since his disease rendered him temporarily blind on the field in 2001 and chemotherapy weakened his body, he has launched himself into a rigorous training regiment, which has enabled his return to the field. In his first game back, he caught five passes for a team-high 76 yards and two touchdowns. In 2003, Cleaver had the second-best single-season receiving performance (749 yards) in school history and earned First Team All-Conference honors. 

The team captain, Cleaver currently leads the conference and ranks in the top five among national leaders in receiving this season. Director of the Middlebury M.S. Walk, he received the ECAC Award of Valor, the conference's highest award, which is presented to a student-athlete whose courage, motivation and relentless determination serves as an inspiration to all. Cleaver is currently the executive vice president of brokerage for CBRE, an American commercial real estate company.