2009 Maxwell and Bednarik Award Winners

PRESS RELEASE - December 10, 2009 Lake Buena Vista, Florida

Contact: Mark Wolpert
P.O. Box 1255
Southampton, PA  18966
Phone (610) 277-8900
Fax (610) 277-2239
                              e-mail: mwolpert@maxwellfootballclub.org

University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was announced as the winner of the 73rd Maxwell Award (Collegiate Player of the Year) and Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was named as the recipient of the 15th Chuck Bednarik Award (Collegiate Defensive Player of the Year) during the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards show broadcast on ESPN live from Disney’s Boardwalk. Both the Maxwell Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award are presented by the Maxwell Football Club which was established in 1935 and is the oldest football club of its kind in America.

McCoy, a senior, has led the Longhorns to a 12-0 record and a Big XII Championship this season. Texas will face off with the Alabama Crimson Tide in this year’s CITI BCS Championship game which will be held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010.

McCoy has capped off a tremendous career at Texas with an outstanding 2009 campaign, In twelve games this fall he has completed 310-of-432 passes (71.8%) for 3,328 yards and 27 touchdowns. His pass efficiency rating is 152.9 and he is averaging 26.6 yards a pass on his 27 scoring throws. McCoy has posted at least 300 yards of total offense in six games this season.

McCoy became the all-time winningest quarterback in NCAA history when he won his 43rd game as a starter against Kansas. He now boasts a 44-7 record as the Longhorns’ signal caller. He joins fellow Texas alums Vince Young, Ricky Williams, and Tommy Nobis as Maxwell Award winners.

Suh, a 6’4, 300-pound defensive tackle for Nebraska is the first Cornhusker player to be awarded the Chuck Bednarik Award. He joins Mike Rozier (1983 Maxwell Award) as the second Nebraska player to be recognized by the Maxwell Football Club. To say his 2009 season was dominant would be an understatement. Suh recorded 82 tackles, 12.0 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and 26 quarterback hurries during this past season. He also blocked three kicks and accounted for 10 pass breakups as the leader of the Huskers’ “Black Shirt” defense. His performance against Texas in the Big XII Championship game will go down as one of the greatest games ever by a defensive tackle at the college level.

Suh has led his team to a 9-4 record and a berth in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl vs. Arizona which will be held on December 30th. Maxwell Club President Ron Jaworski offered the following thoughts on Suh. “ Ndamukong Suh is one of the most dominant defensive linemen to come through college football in a very long time. He has the ability to not only impact a game but can single handedly destroy an offense. His ability allows the players around him to be even better.”

The formal presentations of the Maxwell and Chuck Bednarik Awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club’s 73rd National Awards Dinner to be held at the Harrah’s Atlantic City Resort on March 5, 2010. Tickets are available to the public on a first come first serve basis through the Club’s website www.maxwellfootballclub.org or by calling 215-643-3833.

All questions or concerning the awards presented by the Maxwell Football Club can be directed to Mr. Mark Wolpert (Maxwell Football Club Executive Director) mwolpert@maxwellfootballclub.org,or to Mr. Richard Cirminiello rcirminiello@maxwellfootballclub.org  (Director of Collegiate Awards).

The Maxwell and Chuck Bednarik Awards are members of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official website, ncfaa.org.