Host of "The Daily Show" will be honored Jan. 21 at All-America Luncheon

Jon Stewart, the award-winning host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, has been selected at the recipient of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s Honorary All-America Award for 2005.

The NSCAA Honorary All-America award is presented to those who have brought particular distinction to the sport of soccer through their efforts within and beyond the boundaries of the sport. Past recipients include astronaut Sonny Carter, actor Andrew Shue and Lamar Hunt, owner of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and the Major League Soccer franchises in Columbus, Dallas and Kansas City. He will be presented the award on Saturday, Jan. 21, at the NSCAA All-America Luncheon, held in conjunction with the annual NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia, Pa.

Before Stewart launched his highly successful comedic career, he played intercollegiate soccer at the College of William and Mary. As a member of The Tribe’s team from 1981 to 1983, he scored 10 goals and was credited with 12 assists for a total of 32 career points. As a senior, he scored William and Mary’s lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Connecticut which helped propel The Tribe to the ECAC title and the school’s second appearance in the NCAA tournament.

From those beginnings, Stewart has become one of America’s top social and comedic voices. Since he began as host of The Daily Show in January 1999, he has increased the visibility of the program and its network, Comedy Central. The show has won three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program (2000, 2002 and 2003) and received Emmys as the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series in 2002 and 2003. Stewart twice has been a nominee for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program (2002, 2003).

In 2004, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” was honored by the Television Critics Association by winning for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information, beating out traditional news shows in the category. In 2003, Stewart received the TCA’s Individual Achievement in Comedy award and the show won for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy. In 2001, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” also received the prestigious Peabody Award for excellence in its "Indecision 2000" campaign coverage.

Stewart's latest book (written with the writers at “The Daily Show”), AMERICA (THE BOOK): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction, was an instant hit, topping The New York Times Best Seller List the first six weeks after its release in September 2004. It also was ranked No. 1 on the best-seller lists in The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today and San Francisco Chronicle.

The New Jersey native began honing his skills in New York City, moving through the ranks of its top comedy clubs to appearances on HBO's Young Comedians Special and "Late Show with David Letterman." Those, in turn, led him to his own late night talk show which has led to his newest venture as host of COMEDY CENTRAL's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

Hosting a late-night talk show was nothing new to Stewart. After briefly hosting a half-hour nighttime talk show on MTV, aptly titled "The Jon Stewart Show," Paramount enlarged the show to a one-hour format for national syndication. The critically-acclaimed talk show featured a variety of celebrity guests from the worlds of music, entertainment, sports and fashion. The show aired from September 1994 through June 1995.

Stewart’s feature film credits include “Death to Smoochy” with Edward Norton, Robin Williams and Danny De Vito; “Big Daddy” with Adam Sandler; the romantic drama “Playing by Heart” with Gillian Anderson and “The Faculty,” a horror-comedy directed by Robert Rodriguez. Television credits include the CableAce-nominated one-hour HBO comedy special, “Jon Stewart: Unleavened,” which premiered in September 1996, as well as guest hosting CBS’ “The Late, Late Show with Tom Snyder,” NBC's “NewsRadio” and HBO's “Mr. Show with Bob & David.” His debut book, Naked Pictures of Famous People, a collection of humorous what-if essays, appeared on many best-sellers lists including that of The New York Times. Stewart has also written for several magazines, including The New Yorker, Esquire and George.

NSCAA members log in to comment. Not a member? Learn more today.