June 25, 2007
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech’s Tashard Choice was named to the 2007 Maxwell Award watch list, and Philip Wheeler was selected to the watch list for the 2007 Chuck Bednarik Award, announced by Maxwell Football Club President Ron Jaworski on Monday.
The Maxwell Award has been presented to the outstanding collegiate football player in America since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert W. “Tiny” Maxwell. The Chuck Bednarik Award is given to the nation’s top defensive player, and is named after University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Eagle great Chuck Bednarik.
Choice, a senior tailback from Riverdale, Ga., led the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing last season with 1,473 yards and garnered second team All-ACC honors. He scored 12 touchdowns and rushed for over 100 yards in a school record nine games, including seven straight to end the season.
Wheeler, a senior linebacker from Columbus, Ga., recently was named the preseason 2007 Bronko Nagurski watch list, also given to the top defensive player in collegiate football, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). He led Tech with nine sacks last season and was named to the All-ACC second team.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced in early November and three finalists for each award will be announced Nov. 26. The winners of the 2007 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 6, 2007. The formal presentation of these awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Harrah’s Entertainment Atlantic City in March 2008.
The watch list candidates have been chosen by the Maxwell Football Club’s Selection Committee and the Maxwell Club reserves the right to make additions and subtractions to these lists as the 2007 season unfolds. All members of the Maxwell Football Club, NCAA sports information directors, head coaches and selected national media are eligible to vote for these awards.
-30-
