Abilene Christian University announced its alumni awards for 2025, honoring the outstanding achievements of a Major League Baseball club executive and a Texas justice. Greg Feasel (’81), president and chief operating officer of the Colorado Rockies Baseball Club, is the 2025 Outstanding Alumnus of the Year, and April (Ward ’06) Farris, justice of the Texas 15th Court of Appeals, is the 2025 Young Alumna of the Year.
Both recipients will be honored at ACU’s annual Alumni Day Luncheon on March 30.
Outstanding Alumnus of the Year: Greg Feasel
The Outstanding Alumnus of the Year award honors timely recognition of lifetime achievement that brings honor to the university through personal and professional excellence and service to the university, church or community.
Greg Feasel came to ACU in 1976 as a transfer student. Initially struggling with college life and academics, he was guided by Dr. Dwain Hart, then-professor and chair of health, physical education, and recreation. Hart’s advice to sit in the front row and commit fully to his studies ignited his drive to excel, academically and athletically.
The newfound diligence paid off as he became a standout offensive lineman, earning All-America honors in 1979 and forming a legendary tandem with his brother Grant (’83) on the Wildcat offensive line. His success continued in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers.
Today, Feasel is the president and chief operating officer of the Colorado Rockies and is in his 30th year with the club. In this role, Feasel oversees both the baseball and business functions of the organization. Before joining the Rockies in 1996, he served as the division director of sales and marketing for Coca-Cola Enterprises in Colorado. Feasel is also a former educator in Texas and Colorado.
Beyond his work with the Rockies, Feasel is actively involved in the Denver community. He sits on the executive committee for VISIT DENVER and holds board positions with the Denver Police Foundation and the Colorado Rockies Baseball Club Foundation.
Feasel credits his achievements to his time at ACU and remains a dedicated advocate for his alma mater, maintaining close relationships with many ACU alumni, coaches and professors who inspired him. He and his wife, Lynn, are members of the President’s Venture Council at ACU, and they have one daughter, Zola.
Young Alumna of the Year: April Farris
The Young Alumna of the Year award recognizes professional achievement and/or distinguished service to Abilene Christian University. To be eligible, a recipient must not be over 40 years of age at the time of selection.
Justice April Farris was appointed to the 15th Court of Appeals by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in June 2024, effective Sept. 1. She previously served on Texas’ First Court of Appeals after being appointed in 2021 and elected in 2022. The new Fifteenth Court of Appeals was created by the Texas Legislature to have intermediate jurisdiction over certain appeals involving disputes by or against the state and its officers, and challenges to the constitutionality of a state statute. It will also review judgments from Texas’ business courts.
Before joining the court, Farris was a partner at Yetter Coleman LLP, where she handled appellate litigation for energy, technology and government clients. While in private practice, she was recognized in appellate law by Law360, Best Lawyers in America and Thompson Reuters’ Super Lawyers.
Farris previously served as an assistant solicitor general for the State of Texas, where she handled appeals for various Texas agencies. She also clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She is a member of the American Law Institute and an adjunct instructor at the University of Texas School of Law.
After graduating from ACU, Farris earned a law degree from Harvard Law. In 2019, she was awarded a Gutenberg Award by ACU’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is married to Ben Farris (’06), and they have two children. She is proud to be a third-generation ACU Wildcat.