July 31, 2008

Manhasset, N.Y. - The 2008 John Mackey Award watch list has been released by the Nassau County Sports Commission and senior co-captain Logan Paulsen has been named to the list. Given annually to the best collegiate tight end, the award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee and announced in mid-December.

NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey is considered to be the best to have played the tight end position. A tight end by whom all others are measured, Mackey was a role model on and off the field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to community and his place in history as the first President of the NFLPA.

The John Mackey Award presented since 2000, lists seven NFL players as alumni: Dallas Clark ('01) of the 2007 Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts, two-time Super Bowl Champion Daniel Graham ('02) of the Denver Broncos, Kellen Winslow II ('03) of the Cleveland Browns, Heath Miller ('04) of the 2006 Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, Marcedes Lewis ('05) of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Matt Spaeth ('06) of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the 2007 John Mackey Award recipient Fred Davis of the Washington Redskins.

2008 John Mackey Award Watch List

Travis Beckum, SR, Wisconsin
Nate Byham, JR, Pittsburgh
James Casey, SR, Rice
Tripp Chandler, SR, Georgia
Chase Coffman, SR, Missouri
Jared Cook, JR, S. Carolina
Jeff Cumberland, JR, Illinois
Ed Dickson, JR, Oregon
Richard Dickson, JR, LSU
Jermaine Gresham, JR, Oklahoma
Dan Gronkowski, SR, Maryland
Rob Gronkowski, SO, Arizona
Anthony Hill, SR, NC State
Darius Hill, SR, Ball St.
Cornelius Ingram, SR, Florida
Branden Ledbetter, SR, W. Michigan
Jeron Mastrud, JR, Kansas St.
Tony Moeaki, SR, Iowa
Shawn Nelson, SR, S. Mississippi
Bear Pascoe, SR, Fresno St.
Logan Paulsen, SR, UCLA
Brandon Pettigrew, SR, Oklahoma St.
Dennis Pitta, JR, BYU
Ryan Purvis, SR, Boston College
Andrew Quarless, JR, Penn St.
Mike Ragone, SO, Notre Dame
Cody Slate, JR, Marshall
Kory Sperry, SR, Colorado St.
Sam Wheeler, JR, Virginia Tech
Zeek Zacharie, SR, U. of Louisiana-Monroe