Dorsey & McGahee Among 10 Walter Camp Player of the Year Finalists
Nov. 13, 2002
New Haven, CT – The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the 10 finalists for its 2002 Player of the Year award and two Miami Hurricanes – senior quarterback Ken Dorsey and sophomore tailback Willis McGahee – are among the finalists. The fourth-oldest individual college football award in the nation, the Walter Camp Player of the Year will be announced live on ESPN SportsCenter on Thursday, December 12.
The winner will receive his trophy during the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on February 8, 2003 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.
In addition, college football fans can vote for their favorite candidate at www.waltercamp.org.
Dorsey, a senior from Orinda, Calif. (Miramonte HS), is in the midst of a spectacular season in which he is on pace to set career full-season highs for passing yards, touchdowns and completions. The holder of seven University of Miami records, Dorsey also has set three BIG EAST Conference career records this season for passing yards, passing touchdowns and completions. In addition to setting Miami career records for passing yards, touchdowns, completions, attempts and total offense, Dorsey has thrown for 2,265 yards and 21 touchdowns while completing 54.5 percent of his passes this season. For his career, Dorsey has passed for 8,461 yards and 79 touchdowns – both BIG EAST and Miami records.
McGahee, a sophomore from Miami (Central HS), is on pace to smash every existing UM single-season rushing record. Through nine games, McGahee has rushed for 1,188 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 6.3 yards per carry and 132 yards per contest. With three games remaining, McGahee needs 229 yards to surpass Edgerrin James’s 1998 record for rushing yards in a season of 1,416. McGahee’s 17 touchdowns ties the UM single-season record for rushing TDs set by Edgerrin James in 1998. He is also on pace to break the UM single-season mark for all-purpose yardage (1,708 by Edgerrin James, 1998) as he has accounted for 1,506 all-purpose yards this season.
Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.
The 10 finalists for the 2002 Walter Camp Player of the Year award include:
Brad Banks, Iowa, QB, Senior
Chris Brown, Colorado, RB, Junior
Maurice Clarett, Ohio State, RB, Freshman
Ken Dorsey, Miami, QB, Senior
Jason Gesser, Washington State, QB, Senior
Quentin Griffin, Oklahoma, RB, Senior
Byron Leftwich, Marshall, QB, Senior
Willis McGahee, Miami, RB, Sophomore
Carson Palmer, USC, QB, Senior
Onterrio Smith, Oregon, RB, Junior
###
