Johnson: Walter Camp Award "Player to Watch"
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Junior running back Duke Johnson was among the fifteen “Players to Watch” for the 2014 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Walter Camp Football Foundation announced Wednesday.
Johnson has started all 10 games this season and has already compiled one of the most prolific seasons in program history. The Miami Norland HS alum has totaled 1,343 yards on just 185 carries – a 7.7 yards-per-carry average – and has scored 10 rushing touchdowns.
Johnson became the first player in program history to top 5,000 career all-purpose yards last time out against Florida State, and has rushed for over 100 yards in six consecutive games. The Miami native is just 122 yards away from passing Ottis Anderson as the most prolific rusher in program history.
Earlier in November, Johnson was named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award – honoring the Collegiate Player of the Year. Johnson was one of three players from the ACC recognized Wednesday, joining Louisville defensive back Gerod Holliman and Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.
A list of five finalists will be announced on Wednesday, December 3.
The 2014 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, who is voted on by the Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be presented on Thursday, December 11 during the 6 p.m. edition of ESPN SportsCenter.
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 continue the tradition of selecting an annual All-America team.
The Walter Camp Football Foundation is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients.
To view the full release from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, click HERE.
