The Awards and Recognition Association today announced 10 finalists for the inaugural ARA Sportsmanship Award ? a new national award for NCAA Division I College Football ? including Kentucky senior cornerback Antoine Huffman.
?We knew we would find outstanding role models throughout college football, and we were not disappointed. Our selection committee will have a difficult time selecting one person to win the first ARA Sportsmanship Award,? said ARA President Charles Miles. The ARA is based in Glenview, Ill.
Former Brigham Young University Head Football Coach LaVell Edwards chairs the selection committee. The 2005 ARA Sportsmanship Award recipient will be announced in mid-December.
The finalists for the 2005 ARA Sportsmanship Award are:
James Anderson – Virginia Tech
Antoine Huffman – University of Kentucky
Luke Johnson – University of Southern Mississippi
Matthew Leinart – University of Southern California
Grayling Love – Arizona State University
Ryan Neill – Rutgers University
Ben Obomanu – Auburn University
Devarick Scandrett – Middle Tennessee State University
Scott Smith – University of California, Berkeley
DeAngelo Williams – University of Memphis
?We are particularly pleased that these fine examples of good character and athletic excellence come from different parts of the country. Good sportsmanship is demonstrated on and off the field at all levels of amateur and professional athletics, and we expected to see strong candidates from throughout the United States,? Miles said.
All NCAA Division I schools were eligible to submit nominations for the ARA Sportsmanship Award. The finalists were selected in a blinded process. The winner will be selected by a blue-ribbon panel of former football coaches, sports and media professionals and representatives from ARA and other complementary organizations.
To qualify for the award, an athlete must be a starting player or significant contributor on his team, be a senior in good academic standing, demonstrate great respect for competitors, school, teammates and coaches, show an ability to accept victory and defeat graciously, convey a high degree of humility and integrity, and demonstrate commitment in the classroom and to the community.
Huffman, a two-year starter at cornerback, set the Kentucky career record for pass breakups with 27. Off the field, he has graduated with a 3.45 grade-point average in telecommunications and is working on his master?s degree in mass communications. He has been involved in countless community service and campus activities during his years at UK and was named to the National Good Works Team by the American Football Coaches Association in 2004.
In addition to being a finalist for the ARA Sportsmanship Award, Huffman is a finalist for the Danny Wuerffel Trophy (community service/football/academics); a semifinalist for the Ronnie Lott IMPACT Trophy (national defensive player of the year/character); a semifinalist for the National Scholar-Athlete Award from the National Football Foundation; a nominee for the Bobby Bowden Award from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes; and has advanced to the national ballot for the Academic All-America Team.
Wildcats Have Nation?s Top Kick Return Unit: An analysis of NCAA statistics indicates that Kentucky has the nation?s best overall kick return unit for the 2005 season.
Kentucky ranks third in the nation in kickoff returns and fourth nationally in punt returns. No other school in the country has a combination of return teams ranked that high.
As a team, UK averaged 26.4 yards per kickoff return this season, with Draak Davis and David Jones handling most of the runbacks. Keenan Burton and Rafael Little also saw spot action, including Little?s 99-yard game-winning touchdown return against Idaho State. UK averaged 17.2 yards per punt return, with Little doing most of the duty.
Here is a list of the nation?s top-10 overall kick return units. National ranking in punt and kickoff returns are added together to get the total score for each team. The lower the total score, the higher the overall ranking.
National Rankings Team Punt Ret. KO Ret. Total Score 1. Kentucky 4th 3rd 7 2. Arizona State 7th 4th 11 3. Texas 5th 9th 14 4. West Virginia 9th 21st 30 5. Oregon 25th 7th 32 6. Fresno State 2nd 37th 39 7. Baylor 27th 17th 44 8. Texas Christian 40th 6th 46 9. Ohio State 31st 16th 47 Boise State 34th 13th 47
Fans Can Watch 2006 Opponent in I-AA National Playoffs: Texas State, which will be Kentucky?s 2006 home opening opponent on Sept. 9, has reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.
The Bobcats will play host to Cal Poly on Sat. Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. EST. The game that will be televised by ESPN2. Texas State finished 9-2 in the regular season, was co-champion of the Southland Conference, and advanced to the quarterfinals with a 50-35 opening-round win over Georgia Southern.
