Syracuse Hands Out Team Awards
1/15/2021 4:30:00 PM | Football
Although the annual Syracuse football senior recognition and honors banquet was not able to be held due to the COVID-19 Pandemic this year, Syracuse still awarded its deserving student-athletes with the team awards.
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Fourteen individual awards were presented with team awards. The biggest honor went to linebacker Mikel Jones, who was the recipient of the Bill Horr Most Valuable Player Award.
The Ben Schwartzwalder Award, presented to an exemplary football player, was given to Chris Elmore. Elmore has become the Orange's most versatile athlete after starting nine games at offensive guard this year. It was his fourth different position in his 'Cuse career. Elmore has announced he'll return for the 2021 season.
Standout freshman running back Sean Tucker was awarded as the Mark Hoffman Award as the team's most outstanding back. Tucker rushed for the second-most yards per game in program history by a freshman this season.
Tucker's backfield-mate was honored with the Ray Martino Award, which honors a student-athlete who has shown loyalty, enthusiasm and perseverance, was given to Cooper Lutz. Lutz, who moved from running back to wideout and defensive back in his career, was thrust into a starting running back role at times this season. He led the team with 114 yards on the ground at Notre Dame, which was the highest total the Fighting Irish allowed to a player in the regular season.
Ifeatu Melifonwu, who earned All-America honors from The Athletic and was selected to the All-ACC Team, earned the Thomas S. Pirro Award. Melifonwu, one of the top corners in the league, has declared for the 2021 NFL Draft and will be participating in the Senior Bowl. Melifonwu's cornerback counterpart, Garrett Williams, was honored with the Duffy Daugherty Award. Williams and Melifonwu combined to be ranked the No. 7 cornerback duo in the FBS this season by Pro Football Focus.
The Syracuse defensive line unit came away with a host of awards. Kingsley Jonathan, who was previously awarded the ACC's Jim Tatum Award as the most outstanding student-athlete in the ACC, earned the Coach Mac Award. Josh Black earned the Tim Green Award as the most outstanding defensive lineman, and backup nose guard Curtis Harper was presented with the Ted Dailey Award as the most improved player on the defense.
Wideout Anthony Queeley earned the Bill Maxwell Award for being the most improved player on offense. Queeley started all-11 games at wide receiver and became Syracuse's second-most frequently targeted player.
For the third time, the Jim DaRin Award for Courage was presented to a player who showed extraordinary courage in the face of adversity. Named after DaRin, an Orange offensive lineman who endured 12 surgeries on his spinal cord and a ruptured artery near his heart as the result of an accident at the Miller Brewing plant where he worked, this year's award went to McKinley Williams, who started all-11 games this season after missing all of last season due to injury. Nolan Cooney (2019) and Rex Culpepper (2018) are the award's previous recipients.
Specialists also were honored en masse. Cooney earned the Joe Alexander Award for excellence in football, scholarship and citizenship. Cooney, who earned All-America honors from Pro Football Focus this season, earned the Brian Piccolo Award as the ACC's most courageous athlete after his battle with cancer in high school. His longsnapper, Aaron Bolinsky, was honored with the Pat Miller Award as an outstanding athlete, student and citizen, while Nykeim Johnson war presented with the Joe Szombathy Award as an outstanding special teams player. Johnson was a Second Team All-ACC selection as a return man this season.
2020 Syracuse Team Award Winners:
Joe Szombathy Award (Outstanding Special Teams Player) – Nykiem Johnson
Ray Martino Award (Loyalty, Enthusiasm, and Perseverance) – Cooper Lutz
Pat Miller Award (Outstanding Athlete, Student, and Citizen) – Aaron Bolinsky
Thomas S. Pirro Award (Character and Coachability) – Ifeatu Melifonwu
Joe Alexander Award (Excellence in Football, Scholarship, and Citizenship) – Nolan Cooney
Tim Green Award (Outstanding Defensive Lineman) – Josh Black
Coach "Mac" Award (Intensity, Focus, Effort, and Attitude) – Kingsley Jonathan
Duffy Daugherty Award (Consummate Teammate) – Garrett Williams
Ben Schwartzwalder Award (Exemplary Football Player) – Chris Elmore
Mark Hoffman Award (Outstanding Back) – Sean Tucker
Bill Maxwell Award (Most Improved Offensive Player) – Anthony Queeley
Ted Dailey Award (Most Improved Defensive Player) – Curtis Harper
Bill Horr Award (Most Valuable Player) – Mikel Jones
Jim DaRin Award for Courage – McKinley Williams
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Fourteen individual awards were presented with team awards. The biggest honor went to linebacker Mikel Jones, who was the recipient of the Bill Horr Most Valuable Player Award.
The Ben Schwartzwalder Award, presented to an exemplary football player, was given to Chris Elmore. Elmore has become the Orange's most versatile athlete after starting nine games at offensive guard this year. It was his fourth different position in his 'Cuse career. Elmore has announced he'll return for the 2021 season.
Standout freshman running back Sean Tucker was awarded as the Mark Hoffman Award as the team's most outstanding back. Tucker rushed for the second-most yards per game in program history by a freshman this season.
Tucker's backfield-mate was honored with the Ray Martino Award, which honors a student-athlete who has shown loyalty, enthusiasm and perseverance, was given to Cooper Lutz. Lutz, who moved from running back to wideout and defensive back in his career, was thrust into a starting running back role at times this season. He led the team with 114 yards on the ground at Notre Dame, which was the highest total the Fighting Irish allowed to a player in the regular season.
Ifeatu Melifonwu, who earned All-America honors from The Athletic and was selected to the All-ACC Team, earned the Thomas S. Pirro Award. Melifonwu, one of the top corners in the league, has declared for the 2021 NFL Draft and will be participating in the Senior Bowl. Melifonwu's cornerback counterpart, Garrett Williams, was honored with the Duffy Daugherty Award. Williams and Melifonwu combined to be ranked the No. 7 cornerback duo in the FBS this season by Pro Football Focus.
The Syracuse defensive line unit came away with a host of awards. Kingsley Jonathan, who was previously awarded the ACC's Jim Tatum Award as the most outstanding student-athlete in the ACC, earned the Coach Mac Award. Josh Black earned the Tim Green Award as the most outstanding defensive lineman, and backup nose guard Curtis Harper was presented with the Ted Dailey Award as the most improved player on the defense.
Wideout Anthony Queeley earned the Bill Maxwell Award for being the most improved player on offense. Queeley started all-11 games at wide receiver and became Syracuse's second-most frequently targeted player.
For the third time, the Jim DaRin Award for Courage was presented to a player who showed extraordinary courage in the face of adversity. Named after DaRin, an Orange offensive lineman who endured 12 surgeries on his spinal cord and a ruptured artery near his heart as the result of an accident at the Miller Brewing plant where he worked, this year's award went to McKinley Williams, who started all-11 games this season after missing all of last season due to injury. Nolan Cooney (2019) and Rex Culpepper (2018) are the award's previous recipients.
Specialists also were honored en masse. Cooney earned the Joe Alexander Award for excellence in football, scholarship and citizenship. Cooney, who earned All-America honors from Pro Football Focus this season, earned the Brian Piccolo Award as the ACC's most courageous athlete after his battle with cancer in high school. His longsnapper, Aaron Bolinsky, was honored with the Pat Miller Award as an outstanding athlete, student and citizen, while Nykeim Johnson war presented with the Joe Szombathy Award as an outstanding special teams player. Johnson was a Second Team All-ACC selection as a return man this season.
2020 Syracuse Team Award Winners:
Joe Szombathy Award (Outstanding Special Teams Player) – Nykiem Johnson
Ray Martino Award (Loyalty, Enthusiasm, and Perseverance) – Cooper Lutz
Pat Miller Award (Outstanding Athlete, Student, and Citizen) – Aaron Bolinsky
Thomas S. Pirro Award (Character and Coachability) – Ifeatu Melifonwu
Joe Alexander Award (Excellence in Football, Scholarship, and Citizenship) – Nolan Cooney
Tim Green Award (Outstanding Defensive Lineman) – Josh Black
Coach "Mac" Award (Intensity, Focus, Effort, and Attitude) – Kingsley Jonathan
Duffy Daugherty Award (Consummate Teammate) – Garrett Williams
Ben Schwartzwalder Award (Exemplary Football Player) – Chris Elmore
Mark Hoffman Award (Outstanding Back) – Sean Tucker
Bill Maxwell Award (Most Improved Offensive Player) – Anthony Queeley
Ted Dailey Award (Most Improved Defensive Player) – Curtis Harper
Bill Horr Award (Most Valuable Player) – Mikel Jones
Jim DaRin Award for Courage – McKinley Williams
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