The Heisman ceremony will be later tonight, and likely will go to Cam Newton, the poster child for both dominance in college football as well as NCAA infractions and allegations. And, frustratingly, he’ll get more notoriety than some other, very deserving and high character guys.
The Rudy award, only in its fourth year, is given out to the player in college football who best exemplifies “Character, Courage, Contribution, and Commitment”. It’s named after Rudy Ruettiger, the former Notre Dame walk-on who was the basis for the popular movie, “Rudy”.
View all of the finalists and cast your vote at the College Rudy Awards website. The voting closes on December 14th, and the presentation will commence on January 11th.
The Top Final Contenders
1. Alex Henery, Nebraska (36 percent of votes)
A former walk-on who, out of high school, only received soccer scholarships, Henery has been named to the All-Big 12 team three straight years and has not become, statistically the most accurate kicker in NCAA history.
2. Will Lowery, Alabama (35 percent of votes)
With no Division One scholarships, Lowery walked-on at Alabama, and quickly became a team and campus favorite. He has 27 tackles and 2 interceptions this season, while also piling up another notable stat: He has over 100 hours of work at the Phoenix Halfway House.
3. Levi Koskan, Utah State (9 percent of votes)
Another former walk-on, Koskan has become a starter for this team and has been known by the coaching staff and, judging by his nomination and votes, nationally. He is also actively involved in the FCA.
Other Notables
Ras-I Dowling, Virginia
A multiple All-ACC and All-American cornerback, Dowling has made a huge impact for his college on and off the field. Outside of his outstanding production and consistency, he does much charity work with a local Children’s Hospital. He also returned for his senior season despite being viewed as a top two round NFL Draft prospect, with one of his main reasons being the fact that he wanted to be the first in his family to graduate from college.
DeQuin Evans, Kentucky
Growing up with no father and in a rough neighborhood, Evans was forced to bag groceries after his high school graduation. He tried out, and made, a local Junior College football team, and within a year, he was a standout. He gained a scholarship to the University of Kentucky and was an All-SEC standout in his first season. Despite dealing with shoulder and ankle injuries all year, he missed only one game and helped get the Wildcats to a bowl game.
Mark Herzlich, Boston College
One of the more well-known stories from this list, Herzlich was a 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year. But after the season, he was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcome, a rare bone cancer that threatened not only his football playing career, but his life. Herzlich sat out the 2009 season for chemotherapy, recovered, and came back to the field for Boston College this season.
Jerrell Powe, Ole Miss
Forced to sit out three years due to academic ineligibility likely stemming from his dyslexia, Powe worked hard to overcome outside pressure, being overweight, and falling far behind on the depth chart to be on pace to graduation. He has recently announced he will be forgoing his final college season and going to try and make it in the NFL.
David Ruffer, Notre Dame
Ruffer didn’t play high school football. He went to school at William & Mary, where he also didn’t play football. They he transferred to Notre Dame, where his kicking ability in intermurals made him a hot name around campus. A year later, in 2008, he received a walk-on scholarship. The next year he moved to kickoff specialist, and finally, this year, he was the starting kicker, connecting on 100 percent of his kicks and being a Lou Groza award finalist.
JJ Watt, Wisconsin
Known for his dominating effort against Ohio State, Watt was a former walk-on at Wisconsin after leaving his scholarship at Central Michigan. He worked at Pizza-Hut to pay for his education at Wisconsin, but after one year and winning the Scout Team Defensive Player of the Year, he was given a scholarship for the team. He is top ten in the country in tackles for a loss, and leads the team in community service hours. He has also started his own charitable organization, the Justin J. Watt Foundation.
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