Bruce Davis made 12.5 sacks in 2006, the most of any player in the nation returning for the 2007 season |
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Davis, Horton and Markey Named to National Award Watch Lists
June 25, 2007
Maxwell Football Club President Ron Jaworski today announced the 2007 Watch Lists for the 71st Maxwell Award and the 13th Chuck Bednarik Award. Each list is comprised of sixty-five players who were selected based on their performance during the 2006 season.
UCLA senior defensive end Bruce Davis and senior strong safety Chris Horton both appear on the Bednarik Award list while senior tailback Chris Markey has been named to the Maxwell Award list.
Davis, a first-team All-American in 2006, leads all returning players nationally with his 12.5 sacks in 2006. He also had 17.5 tackles for loss and finished the season with 47 tackles. Horton led the team with 95 tackles a year ago. He also ranked second on the team with three interceptions. Markey led the Bruins in rushing with 1,107 yards and in receptions with 35, becoming the first Bruin to lead the team in both categories since 1962.
Davis is also on the pre-season lists of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Lott Trophy, two other national defensive player of the year awards. Horton is also on the Lott Trophy list.
The Maxwell Award has been presented to the outstanding collegiate football player in America since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell. The Chuck Bednarik Award has been presented since 1995 and is named in honor of Chuck Bednarik, a former University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Eagle great. Mr. Bednarik is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame 69' and the NFL Hall of Fame 67'.
Brady Quinn of the University of Notre Dame was the recipient of the 70th Maxwell Award and Paul Posluszny of Penn State University was awarded the 12th Chuck Bednarik Award for their outstanding performance during the 2006 season. Posluszny, currently a member of the Buffalo Bills, was a two time Bednarik Award winner. Pat Fitzgerald the current Head Football Coach at Northwestern University was the only other two time winner of the Bednarik Award.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced in early November and three finalists for each award will be announced November 26th. The winners of the 2007 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 6, 2007. The formal presentation of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Harrah's Entertainment Atlantic City in March 2008.
The watch list candidates have been chosen by the Maxwell Football Club's Selection Committee and the Maxwell Club reserves the right to make additions and subtractions to these lists as the 2007 season unfolds. All members of the Maxwell Football Club, NCAA Sports Information Directors, Head Coaches and selected national media are eligible to vote for these awards.
