CATALYST AWARD
The Catalyst Award honors Gerome and Ace Sapp for their dedication to fostering unity and strengthening community bonds. Gerome, an early MVP member and NFL veteran, has passionately championed inclusive environments, uplifting others to build a stronger community. His son, Ace, a dedicated athlete and MVP supporter, continues this mission. Through mentorship, influence, and guidance, they inspire others to embrace their journey, making a lasting impact on those around them.
Gerome Sapp
NFL Alumni
Gerome Sapp, born and raised in Houston, TX, excelled at football at an early age. Gerome was a consensus Blue Chip All American and the #1 ranked player in the state of Texas and #4 ranked player nationally as a high school senior. Having received scholarship offers to every major D1 program in the country, Gerome decided to accept a scholarship to attend the University of Notre Dame.
In addition to majoring in Finance, Gerome was an All American and team captain for the storied Fighting Irish Football team. After being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2003 NFL Draft, Gerome played 6 season in the NFL, 2 of those seasons also with the Indianapolis Colts. During Gerome’s NFL career he served as a team captain for both the Ravens and Colts.
During the offseason’s of Gerome’s NFL career he completed an MBA program at Harvard Business School that focused on Business Management/Finance and Entrepreneurial Studies. Gerome used that knowledge to found several award winning Fintech companies after he retired from the NFL.
Ace Sapp
Baseball Athlete
Ace Sapp who’s now 15, is the oldest son of Gerome & Tracy Sapp, was born in Houston, TX but has been raised in Las Vegas since the age of 4.
Ace has had a passion for athletics from a young age. In addition to playing flag football since the age of 5, Ace ran track for USA Track & Field and won the Nevada Junior Olympics 100 meter dash championship at the age of 9. Ace also started training and competing in grappling, which is a combination of wrestling and jiujitsu when he was 8 years old. Ace ended up becoming a two division champion multiple times while competing at some of the industry’s biggest grappling tournaments.
Ace accidentally started baseball when he was 10 years old and fell in love with it. Ace brought the same work ethic and discipline he learned in grappling from some of the best coaches in the world to the baseball field. Though relatively late to baseball, Ace has started to excel in the sport. He was named to the class of 2027 Perfect Game All-American team and has been ranked as one of the top 50 players at his position in the country. Ace plays for the 18u Milwaukee Brewers Scout team during the summer and fall and also was selected to play with the Major League Baseball sponsored ‘MLB Breakthrough Series National’ team.
More than anything, Ace loves being a big brother to his talented younger brother, Kai Sapp. Ace also has a deeply profound respect and appreciation for Merging Vets and Players and all the amazing men and women associated with the organization. Ace also enjoys school, especially Math, and wants to be an engineer one day. He holds a 3.5 GPA and is hoping to attend an SEC university prior to fulfilling his dream of playing in the MLB.