Valparaiso University football senior defensive back Mark Johnson (Nashville, Tenn. / Lipscomb Academy) has been named a finalist for the Freddie Solomon Community Spirit Award, which is presented annually to the player who exemplifies character, leadership and an outstanding commitment to community service and giving back. The honor is presented by the Premier Players Sports Foundation in partnership with the Solomon family.
 
Johnson is one of three finalists for the award and the only FCS representative, joining Georgia tight end Lawson Luckie and USC quarterback Jayden Maiava. The award honors Freddie Solomon, an 11-year NFL veteran wide receiver who played for the Miami Dolphins and won two Super Bowl championships with the San Francisco 49ers.
 
Also a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Johnson is a finalist for this award based in large part upon his selfless bone marrow donation to a 5-year-old boy in Paris, France.
 
In his fourth year in the program and second year as a team captain, Johnson is a third-year starter and earned Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Week honors earlier this season. He has volunteered regularly with the Birmingham YMCA and with Harvest Food Bank in Nashville. He took on a leadership role in organizing Valpo's on-campus bone marrow drives. Through his internship this summer, he and his colleagues packed 2,500 meals for people in Charlotte who do not have access to food daily. They also worked with a nonprofit to get shoes to places in the world where shoes are not as easily accessible.