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September 8, 2009

Oklahoma City — The 2009 Jim Thorpe Award preseason “watch list” announced today includes 31 of the nation’s best defensive backs as the leading candidates for this year’s trophy. Among the candidates is Ohio State senior safety Kurt Coleman. Coleman was third on the team in tackles last season with 78 and led the team with four interceptions.

The Thorpe Award is one of college football’s most sought after and prestigious awards.  It is named after history’s greatest all-around athlete, a man who excelled as a running back, passer and kicker on offense, but also was an awesome defensive back.  Recognized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame simply as “The Legend”, Thorpe also played professional baseball and won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon.

The Jim Thorpe Award “watch list” is determined by analysis of the pre-season All-American teams listed in at least six pre-season college football annual magazines.  Four points are awarded for first team, three points for second team, two points for third and one point for honorable mentions.  This procedure determines approximately 30-40 players on the pre-season watch list.  This list is not final and players who have outstanding seasons are added as the season progresses.

A “Screening Committee” of Jim Thorpe Association members follows these players throughout the season, watching games and researching information sources to grade Thorpe Award candidates on the basis of performance on the field, athletic ability and character.  The committee meets on the first Monday in November to narrow the field to 10 or 12 semi-finalists.

The committee meets again on the Monday before Thanksgiving to select the three finalists.  The names of these finalists are submitted to a national panel of about 50 sports writers, sportscasters, coaches and former players who vote to determine the winner.  The three finalists are invited to the ESPN College Football Awards Show, and the winner is announced during the show.

Formal presentation of the Jim Thorpe Award takes place at ceremonies in Oklahoma City on the first Tuesday in February following the national signing date for college football recruits.

Source: OhioStateBuckeyes.com

DALLAS – The Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum announced today candidates for the 2009 Doak Walker Award. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top college running back. Among the candidates is Ohio State’s Dan “Boom” Herron, who last year rushed for 439 yards and six touchdowns

The field of candidates includes the nation’s leading returning rusher, MiQuale Lewis, from Ball State. Other candidates include the leading returning rushers from the Pac 10 (Jahvid Best, California, Berkley); the Big 12 (Kendal Hunter, Oklahoma State) and the ACC (Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech).

Source: OhioStateBuckeyes.com

FORT WORTH, Texas (August 3, 2009) – The Davey O’Brien Foundation and its National Selection Committee are pleased to announce the 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award® (The O’Brien) Watch List.

The 2009 list highlights 33 quarterbacks who will compete for the award honoring the nation’s best quarterback; however, all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) starting quarterbacks are equal candidates at this time. Watch List candidates were selected by a subset of The O’Brien Selection Committee. The list focuses on a select group of quarterbacks who have demonstrated what members of the Selection Committee have recognized as tremendous preseason talent. The award focuses on accomplishments both on and off the field.

The O’Brien will follow performances of all FBS quarterbacks until Semifinalists are selected in late October. Semifinalists will be announced October 26; Finalists November 23; and the Winner December 10. During all rounds of voting, The O’Brien Selection Committee is asked to evaluate each candidate on the criteria of quarterback skills and athletic ability, academics, reputation as a team player, character, leadership and sportsmanship.

Today marked the first time in the award’s history the Watch List was announced on ESPN’s College Football Live. The 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show airing on ESPN December 10. The recipient will be honored February 15, 2010 at the 33rd Annual O’Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Senior kicker Aaron Pettrey has been named to the 2009 Lou Groza Award Watch list by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The list includes 30 of the nation’s top place kickers.

A walk on in 2005, Pettrey is a fifth-year senior from Raceland, Ky., who is 15-of-19 on field goals in his career. Last season he split the kicking duties with Ryan Pretorius, handling most of the long-range attempts. He made good on 7-of-8 field goals, including 6-of-7 from 40 yards out, which included a career-long 54-yarder against Youngstown State — the fourth-longest in Ohio Stadium history. He also handled all kickoff duties, averaging 62.9 yards per kickoff with 13 touchbacks.

More than 300 media representatives, coaches, past recipients, conference and university officials make up the voting panel which selects the recipient of the Lou Groza Collegiate Place Kicking Award. The Award will be presented on Dec. 10, 2009, as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards program. The three finalists will be honored at the 18th annual Lou Groza Award Banquet to be held at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Florida on Tuesday Dec. 8.

Source: OhioStateBuckeyes.com

NORTHBROOK, Ill., July 22 — A hard-working and committed group of college football players will take the field this fall knowing that the impact they have on their teams and communities has nothing to do with touchdowns, tackles or receptions. For a second consecutive year, Allstate Insurance Company has partnered with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) to announce the list of 106 student-athletes nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team((R)), which honors college football players who make outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement.

With their unselfish acts, such as volunteering at orphanages in Kenya, building a reliable water source for villagers in Kabul, tutoring disadvantaged youth, and visiting elderly patients in nursing homes, Allstate AFCA Good Works Team((R)) nominees distinguish themselves among the more than 50,000 student-athletes participating in the sport at all four-year collegiate institutions through off-the-field accomplishments.

“Allstate and the AFCA have created a partnership of common interests and both organizations are proud to honor the off-the-field achievements of college football players and at all levels,” said Guy Hill, vice president of sales and service for Allstate. “Allstate shares a genuine commitment to the community with these 106 student-athletes, and we encourage them to continue their benevolent efforts.”

The total of 106 nominations submitted by sports information directors across the country on behalf of their teams surpasses all previous single-season nominee totals in the 18-year history of the award. The 2009 class of nominees represents 41 states, including Washington, D.C., and 45 college athletic conferences.

From these nominees, a special voting panel consisting of former Good Works Team((R)) members and prominent college football media members will be responsible for selecting two 11-player Good Works Teams((R)) – one composed of players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, and a combined team representing players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III, and the NAIA.

College Football Hall of Fame member and ESPN broadcast personality Lou Holtz will return as program spokesperson and serve as a member of this year’s voting panel.

“Allstate’s sponsorship of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team((R)) was a welcome addition to one of the oldest, non-competition awards in college football,” said Grant Teaff, AFCA executive director. “As a very recognizable sponsor in the sport, Allstate is not only safe-guarding the tradition of college football, but also recognizing its players for their outstanding efforts both on and off the field and helping to shine a very positive light on the sport for all its fans.”

The 2009 Allstate/AFCA Good Works Teams((R)) voting panel includes: Allstate vice president, Guy Hill; former Good Works Teams((R)) members Matt Stinchcomb (Georgia, 1997, 1998 teams), Mike Proman (Amherst, 2002 team), Mewelde Moore (Tulane, 2003 team), Brian Brenberg (St. Thomas, 2001 team), Zaid Abdul-Aleem (Duke, 1994 team); media members Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN), Dennis Dodd (CBSSports.com), Tony Barnhart (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Kelly Whiteside (USA Today), Ivan Maisel (ESPN.com), Lou Holtz (ESPN); current AFCA president and San Jose State University head coach Dick Tomey; and 1996 AFCA president Fisher DeBerry, former head coach at the United States Air Force Academy.

Source: OhioStateBuckeyes.com

DALLAS (FWAA) – Ohio State DE Kurt Coleman has earned a spot on the Bronko Nagurski Watch List.

Six Football Writers Association of America All-Americans are among 62 players selected to the 2009 Bronko Nagurski Watch List, announced today by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. Included on the list are two past finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, TCU end Jerry Hughes and South Florida end George Selvie.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is awarded annually to the nation’s best defensive player by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. The trophy has been presented since 1993 and is awarded in memory of the legendary Nagurski, an All-America lineman at Minnesota in 1927-29 and a star for professional football’s Chicago Bears in the 1930s.

Besides Hughes, a 2008 All-American, and Selvie, a 2007 All-American, other FWAA All-Americans from last season on the 2009 Watch List are Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry Alabama tackle Terrence Cody, USC defensive back Taylor Mays and Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes.

The Bronko Nagurski Watch List is fluid. Players may be added or removed during the season. After the first four games of the season, the FWAA will revise the list and at that time school sports information directors may submit names for players not on the list to the FWAA and their conference’s FWAA All-America Committee representative.

Each week during the 2009 season, the FWAA will choose a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week. If the selected player is not on the watch list, he automatically will be added. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on November 18 or 19.

The annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet will be on Dec. 7 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. Besides the 2009 winner being announced, the banquet will also celebrate the winner of the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award, presented by CSX Intermodal. Defensive back Roger Wehrli, a standout for the University of Missouri and the St. Louis Cardinals, is being honored from the FWAA’s 1968 All-American team.

Source: ohiostatebuckeyes.com

NEW YORK CITY – The Rimington Trophy committee has released its 2009 Fall Watch List. This year’s list includes Ohio State sophomore center Michael Brewster.

Brewster started 10 games at center as a true freshman in 2008 and received freshman All-America honors by The Sporting News, FWAA and Rivals.

In all, there are 43 players on the Watch List. The SEC checks in with the most candidates, with six players being named.  The ACC, Big-12, Big Ten and WAC are represented by five players each on the Watch List.

While more than a dozen All-America football teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these four prestigious teams to determine a winner:

* American Football Coaches Association

* Walter Camp Foundation

* Sporting News

* Football Writers Association of America

Because the selectors of these four All-America teams can place Centers in a “mix” of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11-man first teams can often have two Centers. Our policy is to count all players that play primarily the Center position for their respective teams as Centers, even though they maybe listed as guards or tackles on the four All American teams.

The Center with the most first team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the Center with most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by the Rimington Trophy committee.

The winner will be honored at the Rimington Trophy Presentation banquet at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, Nebraska on January 16, 2010.

Source: OhioStateBuckeyes.com