Aug. 17, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; - A quintet of Penn Staters have been named to the watch lists for the Maxwell and Chuck Bednarik Awards, presented by the Maxwell Football Club.
Senior quarterback Daryll Clark (Youngstown, Ohio) and junior tailback Evan Royster (Fairfax, Va.) are among the candidates for the Maxwell Award, presented annually to the nation's outstanding player.
Junior linebacker Navorro Bowman (District Heights, Md.), senior linebacker Sean Lee (Pittsburgh) and senior defensive tackle Jared Odrick (Lebanon) are among the candidates for the Bednarik Award, presented annually to the nation's top defensive player.
Penn State and Illinois are the only Big Ten teams with multiple players on the Maxwell Award's 55-player Watch List. Clark was a semifinalist for the 2008 Maxwell, as he directed the Nittany Lions the Big Ten Championship and was runner-up for the Big Ten Silver Football.
A nation's-best seven Nittany Lions have been honored with the Maxwell Award: Larry Johnson (2002), Kerry Collins (1994), Chuck Fusina (1978), John Cappelletti (1973), Mike Reid (1969), Glenn Ressler (1964) and Rich Lucas (1959).
Penn State, Oklahoma and UCLA are the nation's only schools with three candidates on the Bednarik Award's 55-player Watch List. The Nittany Lions are the only Big Ten team with more than one player on the Bednarik Award list. Dan Connor won the Chuck Bednarik Award in 2007, giving Penn State three consecutive honorees after Paul Posluszny became the just the second-time two-time winner in 2005 and 2006. LaVar Arrington also won the Chuck Bednarik Award in 1999. Penn State's four Bednarik Award winners also lead the nation.
Clark and Lee and co-captains of the 2009 Nittany Lions.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced on November 4th and three finalists for each award will be announced November 23rd. The winners will be announced on the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on December 10. The formal presentation of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Harrah's Entertainment Atlantic City on March 5, 2010.
The Maxwell Award has been presented since 1937 and is named in honor of legendary player, coach, official, and journalist Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell. The Chuck Bednarik Award was established in 1995 and is presented in honor of linebacking great Chuck Bednarik, a member of both the College Football and NFL Halls of Fame.
Coach Joe Paterno's No. 8 Nittany Lions are in their second week of pre-season practice in anticipation of the Sept. 5 season opener vs. Akron at 12:00 p.m. The contest will air on the Big Ten Network, the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com.