Freeney Named 2001Lombardi Award Semifinalist
10/30/2001 9:46:51 PM | Football
Freeney leads the nation in sacks with 14.5, which is one-half sack shy of the NCAA record set last year by North Carolina's Julius Peppers. Syracuse's standard for sacks in one season is also 15, set by Tim Green in 1984. The BIG EAST single-season sacks record is 17 set by Virginia Tech's Corey Moore in 1999. Freeney also has 39 tackles, including 22 for a loss, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He had a stretch of seven straight games with at least two sacks and had a streak of 14 straight games with at least one sack. For details on Freeney's outstanding season, including video highlights of his great plays, visit www.suathletics.com/dwightfreeney.
In addition to Freeney, the Lombardi Award semifinalist list includes offensive tackles Bryant McKinnie and Joaquin Gonzalez (Miami), guard Toniu Fonoti (Nebraska), linebacker Rocky Calmus (Oklahoma), defensive end Alex Brown (Florida), defensive tackle Wendell Bryant (Wisconsin), defensive end Kalimba Edwards (South Carolina), defensive tackle John Henderson (Tennessee), defensive end Julius Peppers (North Carolina), linebacker Robert Thomas (UCLA) and defensive tackle Larry Triplett (Washington). This year's group of semifinalists features nine defensive players and three from the offensive side of the ball.
The BIG EAST Conference and Southeastern Conference have each placed three players among the semifinalists, followed by the Big 12 and Pac 10 with two. The Big 10 and the ACC are represented by one player each.
The four Finalists for the 2001 Rotary Lombardi Award will be announced the week of November 11 after a second round of voting among nearly 300 members of the selection committee made up of sportswriters, broadcasters and Division I head coaches from around the country.
The four Finalists and their head coaches will be flown to Houston on December 4 for a myriad of activities in Houston, which include visits to local hospitals and area youth groups. The culmination of their activities in Houston will be the black tie dinner at the J.W. Marriott Hotel on December 5, where the 32nd recipient of The Rotary Lombardi Award will be revealed. Dom Capers, head coach of the Houston Texans will be the featured speaker, while longtime Houston broadcaster Ron Stone will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.
Tickets for the 2001 Rotary Lombardi Award Dinner begin at $200 and can be purchased by calling the Rotary Office (713) 973-9936. Information on tickets is also available on-line at www.rotarylombardiaward.com.
Freeney is also a candidate for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is given to the nation's outstanding defensive player by the Charlotte Touchdown Club. The award, which is voted on by the Football Writers Association of America, is presented in Charlotte, NC, on December 3. The five finalists for the Nagurski Award will be announced on November 20.
Freeney and the 19th-ranked Orangemen (7-2 overall, 4-0 BIG EAST) will return to action when they host West Virginia on Saturday, November 10 in the Carrier Dome. Kickoff is set for noon.
