Dorsey & McGahee Among 5 Walter Camp Player of Year Finalists
Dec. 5, 2002
New Haven, Conn. – The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the five finalists for its 2002 Player of the Year award. The fourth-oldest individual college football award in the nation, the Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient will be presented during the ESPN SportsCenter on Thursday, December 12.
The winner, who is selected by a vote of all Division 1-A head coaches and sports information directors, will receive his trophy during the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on February 8, 2003 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.
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 finalists for the 2002 Walter Camp Player of the Year award include:
Brad Banks, Iowa, QB, Senior – The Belle Glades, Fla. native was recently named the 2002 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year… Holds the top QB rating (166.1) in the nation in leading the Hawkeyes to an impressive 11-1 record, 8-0 in the Big Ten… Completed 155-of-258 passes for 2,369 yards and 25 touchdowns… Completed all 10 of his passes (197 yards) and added 54 yards rushing in a win over Northwestern on November 9.
Ken Dorsey, Miami, QB, Senior – A native of Orinda, Calif., Dorsey is the leader of the undefeated and top-ranked Hurricanes (11-0), passing for 2,773 yards (182-of-330) and 24 touchdowns… Has thrown for 300 yards four times, including a season-high 422 effort at West Virginia on October 26… Set BIG EAST career records for passing touchdowns (82), passing yards (8,969), and pass completions (628)… Sports a 37-1 career record.
Larry Johnson, Penn State, RB, Senior – A native of State College, Pa., Johnson was just the ninth player in NCAA Division I-A history to rush for over 2,000 yards, totaling 2,015 on 251 carries… Leads the nation in rushing (167.9 ypg) and all-purpose yardage (214.5 ypg) and is second in scoring (11.67 ppg)… His 2,575 all-purpose yards are the ninth-best total in NCAA history… Broke the Penn State single-game rushing mark with 327 yards against Indiana on November 16… Averaged 232.7 yards per game in final six regular-season outings.
Willis McGahee, Miami, RB, Sophomore – The Miami, Fla. native has totaled 1,481 yards and 21 touchdowns for the top-ranked Hurricanes… Ranks sixth nationally in rushing (134.6 ypg) and third in scoring (11.5 ppg)… Averaging 6.6 yards per rush… Rushed for 100 yards in nine of 11 games, including a season-high 204 yards in a win over Florida on September 7… Scored a season-best four touchdowns in a win at Temple on September 14.
Carson Palmer, USC, QB, Senior – The Fresno, Calif. native has completed 62.9 percent of his passes (288-of-458) on his way to 3,639 yards and 32 touchdowns… Has six 300-yard passing efforts, including a season-best 448-yard, five-touchdown effort in a win at Oregon on October 26… Averaged 334 yards a game and threw for 23 touchdowns in his final six regular-season contests.
