CHICAGO
– (October 15, 2009) – Collegiate and high school nominees were announced today
for the 25th Annual Butkus Award® honoring the nation’s top football
linebackers, at a Butkus Foundation Charity Fundraiser here.
The
16 collegiate semi-finalist nominees include six who were nominees last year,
and 12 high school nominees are from nine states. Finalists will be announced November 19, and
winners notified by December 8.
Meanwhile, the Butkus Award professional trophy winner will be announced
in early 2010.
“We
have another outstanding group of linebackers,” said Dick Butkus, the award’s
namesake. “This Award is about honoring
linebackers, and reminding them that they have a responsibility to serve as
role models and to give back to society.”
In
that spirit, the 51-person selection committee elected to include Mark Herzlich
from Boston College, who was a finalist in 2008. Herzlich was diagnosed in May 2009 with a
rare bone cancer and has been unable to play as he completes treatment and has
surgery later this year. He intends to
return to the Boston College starting lineup in the fall of 2010.
“Mark
Herzlich would have been a top contender for the Butkus Award this year had it
not been for his illness,” said Hub Arkush of Pro Football Weekly, who
supervises selectors. “The committee is
so impressed with his inspirational story of recovery that we wanted to add him
as a nominee.”
Butkus
Award 2009 Collegiate Trophy nominees:
·
Obi
Ezeh, Michigan
·
Chris
Galippo, Southern California
·
Mark
Herzlich, Boston College
·
Greg
Jones, Michigan State
·
Sergio
Kindle, Texas
·
Sean
Lee, Penn State
·
Travis
Lewis, Oklahoma
·
Rolando
McClain, Alabama
·
Von
Miller, Texas A&M
·
Brandon
Spikes, Florida
·
Daryl
Washington, Texas Christian
·
Sean
Weatherspoon, Missouri
·
Eric
Norwood, South Carolina
·
Perry
Riley, Louisiana State
·
Quan
Sturdivant, North Carolina
·
Rennie
Curran, Georgia
Butkus
Award 2009 High School Trophy nominees:
·
Aaron
Benson, Cedar Hill - Cedar Hill, TX
·
Nick
Forbes, Thomas Johnson - Frederick, MD
·
Khairi
Fortt, Stamford - Stamford, CT
·
Jordan
Hicks, Lakota West - West Chester, OH
·
Christian
Jones, Lake Howell - Winter Park, FL
·
Caleb
Lavey, Celina - Celina, TX
·
Jeff
Luc, Treasure Coast - Port St. Lucie, FL
·
Justin
Maclin, Ridgeway - Memphis, TN
·
Chris
Martin, Grandview – Grandview, CO
·
Hayes
Pullard, Crenshaw - Los Angeles, CA
·
Dakota
Royer, Manheim Central - Lancaster, PA
·
Josh
Shirley, Kaiser - Fontana, CA
Butkus
wants the Butkus Award® to draw attention to the I Play Clean™ campaign, which
aims to end steroid use in organized sports. He encourages past and current
athletes, coaches and fans to pledge their support at www.iplayclean.org. That campaign
is presented by Old Spice, and receives sports nutrition support from EAS
Nutrition. The Butkus Foundation also
supports the Butkus Center for Cardiovascular Wellness that strives to control
heart disease through early detection and preventive lifestyle modification.
The
Butkus Award is selected by a 51-person panel comprised of scouts, coaches and
journalists. Selectors follow all rules
of their leagues, including limitations on contact with players. Individual votes remain completely
confidential.
Butkus
Award winners in 2008 included DeMarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys, Aaron Curry
of Wake Forest (now Seattle Seahawks), Manti T’eo of Punahou High School (now
Notre Dame).
Considered
one of the greatest football players in history, Butkus was inducted into the
Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979, following an illustrious career with the
Chicago Bears, University of Illinois and Chicago Vocational School. Meanwhile, his son Matt was a defensive
lineman for the University of Southern California’s 1990 Rose Bowl winning
team, and joins his father in philanthropic efforts.
The
Butkus Award is part of the National College Football Awards Association, a
coalition of the major collegiate awards.
More information is available at www.NCFAA.org.