Two Canes Named to Unique College Football Watch List
DALLAS– University of Miami standout defenders Sean Spence and Ray-Ray Armstrong have been named to the watch list for the inaugural Pony Express Award, which will honor the most dynamic teammate combination in college football.
Created by SMU’s famous Pony Express backfield of Craig James and Eric Dickerson, the award will look at two- and three-player teammate groups from across the nation, ultimately honoring the combination whose work ethic, desire, on- and off-the-field leadership and playmaking ability best fuel their team.
Spence, a senior linebacker, and Armstrong, a junior safety, are among 48 tandems named to the preseason watch list, which is made up of 28 offensive and 20 defensive groups.
The award, which is voted on by a blue ribbon panel of experts that will form the award’s board of directors, will be announced at the conclusion of the 2011 regular season.
“Eric and I were able to complement each other on the field in such a way that together we formed a much more potent weapon than even our individual talents would have suggested,” said James. “We have remained life-long friends, and each season we have always had fun talking about the great tandems that were making an imprint on the game that season. We decided someone should recognize these great combinations, and that really became the genesis of the Pony Express Award.”
Both Spence and Armstrong were All-ACC selections in 2010 after helping lead a defense that led the nation in tackles for loss (8.85 pg), while ranking third in pass defense (150.54 ypg) and 22nd in total defense (323.31 ypg). Spence ranked second on the team and fifth in the ACC with 111 tackles, while Armstrong’s 79 tackles were third on the Canes’ defense.
“You usually talk about football in terms of offensive and defensive units and the individual standouts on either side of the ball,” said Dickerson. “But if you look at those units, usually there are a couple of guys who stick out and really form a very tough matchup. The most obvious would be a great quarterback and a standout receiver. In Craig and mine’s case, it was two great running backs. On defense, it might be a pair of great safeties. These are the types of tandems we will be looking at.”
As one of the most prolific backfields in college football history, the Pony Express, Dickerson and James led SMU to a 10-0-1 record in 1982, finishing the year ranked No. 2 in the country. As juniors in 1981, the pair combined to rush for 2,575 yards and 27 touchdowns, leading the Ponies to a 10-1 record and the finishing the season ranked No. 5 in the AP poll. Dickerson would go on to a Hall of Fame career in the NFL, being named to the league’s all-decade team for the 1980s, while James had a stellar career for the New England Patriots, rushing for more than 1,200 yards in 1985 to lead the Pats to Super Bowl XX. James currently serves as a college football analyst for ESPN on ABC.
A gala dinner to honor this year’s Pony Express Award recipients will be held after the season. More information on that event will be available at the start of the college football season.
Spence, Armstrong and the Hurricanes will open their 2011 season at Maryland on Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
