49 Players Named to 2012 Paul Hornung Award Watch List

Louisville, Ky. (Thursday, August 2, 2012) — The Louisville Sports Commission today named 49 multi-talented college football players to the 2012 Watch List for the Paul Hornung Award, presented by Texas Roadhouse.

The Paul Hornung Award, now in its third season, is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football by the Louisville Sports Commission and football legend Paul Hornung.

The 2012 Watch List was compiled by a panel of college football experts based on a combination of 2011 statistics, career performance and expectations heading into the 2012 season. Profiles of each player and information about the Award can be found on www.paulhornungaward.com.

The Watch List is comprised of 25 seniors, 16 juniors and eight sophomores, representing 44 universities and 10 conferences that are part of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The SEC is the leading conference with 12 players followed by the Pac-12 with 10. The Big Ten and Big 12 each have six representatives. The USC Trojans have a Watch List leading three representatives while Illinois, Mississippi State and Oregon each have two.

In 2011, players on this year’s Paul Hornung Award Watch List accounted for 10,497 rushing yards, 17,112 receiving yards, 20,133 kickoff return yards, 5,320 punt return yards and 735 total tackles. Reminiscent of Hornung during his playing days, members of the Watch List demonstrated a knack for scoring, posting 251 total touchdowns in seven different scoring capacities while compiling 1,474 points a year ago.

“The Paul Hornung Award Watch List for thae upcoming season is an impressive group of players who excel at multiple positions to help their teams win, which is how I played the game,” Hornung said. “It will be interesting to see which players excel during the season and emerge as the top choices of our Selection Committee.”

“We have had the opportunity to welcome two great young men to Louisville as winners of the Paul Hornung Award the past two years, and I believe we are in line to welcome another great player to our community in 2013. I look forward to honoring the winner here in Louisville at one of the best banquets the country has to offer for college football players and their families.”

The Louisville Sports Commission successfully launched the Paul Hornung Award in 2010 to honor its namesake and native son and to promote outstanding performances by versatile college football players that often go unnoticed. Owen Marecic of Stanford, a two-way starter and All Pac-10 performer at fullback and linebacker, won the inaugural Paul Hornung Award; Brandon Boykin of Georgia won the award in 2011 after excelling on defense, offense and special teams.

Texas Roadhouse signed on as presenting sponsor of the Paul Hornung Award in 2011 and will team with the Louisville Sports Commission to power fan voting again this season. College football fans nationwide will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite player during the regular season and again during the bowl season. Fan voting will open in late September and factor into selection of the finalists and winner.

Players from all FBS teams are eligible and appearing on the Paul Hornung Award Watch List is not a prerequisite for winning the Award. The Selection Committee, comprised of 16 national sports journalists and former college and NFL players, will narrow the field to a small group of finalists in early December. The winner will be selected in early January from among the finalists following the bowl season.

2012 Watch List Selections

Jared Abbrederis, Wisconsin

Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska

Keenan Allen, California

Tavon Austin, West Virginia

Kenjon Barner, Oregon

Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State

D.J. Beshears, Kansas

Matt Brown, Temple

Chad Bumphis, Mississippi State

Trey Burton, Florida

Adrian Bushell, Louisville

Jesse Callier, Washington

Michael Campanaro, Wake Forest

Brandon Carter, TCU

Tommy Davis, Illinois

Quandre Diggs, Texas

Jerry “BooBoo” Gates, Bowling Green

Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State

Jordan Hall, Ohio State

Dustin Harris, Texas A&M

Terry Hawthorne, Illinois

Dennis Johnson, Arkansas

Chandler Jones, San Jose State

Perry Jones, Virginia

Tracy Lampley, Southern Mississippi

Marqise Lee, Southern California

Josh Lenz, Iowa State

Venric Mark, Northwestern

Onterio McCaleb, Auburn

Qunicy McDuffe, Central Florida

Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

Jamal Miles, Arizona State

T.J. Moe, Missouri

Ty Montgomery, Stanford

Warren Norman, Vanderbilt

Jordan Poyer, Oregon State

Theo Riddick, Notre Dame

Nickell Robey, Southern California

Ace Sanders, South Carolina

Jeff Scott, Mississippi

Branden Smith, Georgia

Orwin Smith, Georgia Tech

Darryl Surgent, Louisiana-Lafayette

De’Anthony Thomas, Oregon

Justin Veltung, Idaho

Sammy Watkins, Clemson

Trey Watts, Tulsa

Kerwynn Williams, Utah State

Robert Woods, Southern California

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Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse

Created by the Louisville Sports Commission in 2010, the Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football. The Award is designed to promote college football and help preserve the legacy of one of Kentucky's best-known and accomplished athletes who has always called Louisville home. Hornung, the 1956 Heisman Trophy winner at Notre Dame and NFL MVP for the Green Bay Packers, set a single season NFL scoring record that stood 46 years. Hornung is a member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, and Vince Lombardi once called Hornung, “The most versatile man ever to play the game.” A national selection committee comprised of 16 sports journalists and former NFL stars votes for the Hornung Award, with fan voting powered by Texas Roadhouse comprising the 17th vote. All votes are tabulated independently by regional accounting firm Dean Dorton Allen Ford. The winner is honored at a banquet presented by Jewish Hospital Sports Medicine. For more information, visit www.paulhornungaward.com Fans can also follow online on Twitter (@hornungaward) and Become a Fan on Facebook.

About Louisville Sports Commission

The Louisville Sports Commission (LSC) is a Louisville, Kentucky-based 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to create a legacy of economic and social vitality through sports. LSC attracts and hosts sporting events and activities that have a positive economic impact on Louisville, enhance the area’s image as a premier sports destination, promote healthy lifestyles and improve the quality of life for community members of all ages. More information is available online atwww.louisvillesports.org and www.facebook.com/louisvillesportscommission.