Aug. 24, 2006
ATLANTA–Georgia Tech linebacker KaMichael Hall has been named to the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker.
The Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, Inc. (DACO), the organization which annually presents the prestigious Butkus Award, announced the preliminary list of 65 candidates for this year’s award.
Hall, a senior from Houston, Texas, is a two-year starter for the Yellow Jackets. Last fall he was Tech’s fourth-leading tackler with 64, including a team-high 14 tackles for loss. He has been a key performer for a Tech defense that has ranked among the top 25 nationally in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and pass efficiency defense each of the last two years.
Hall enters his senior season with career totals of 121 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, two interceptions and three forced fumbles.
If 2005 Butkus AwardR winner Paul Posluszny of Penn State repeats in 2006, he would become just the second linebacker to win the Butkus AwardR twice in DACO’s 22-year history. Posluszny would tie with Brian Bosworth of Oklahoma who won the Butkus AwardR in 1985 and 1986 respectively.
The Butkus Award Watch List will be trimmed to 10 semi-finalists on Thursday, October 19. That semi-finalist list will be cut down to three finalists which will be announced via a national teleconference with players, coaches, media members and Butkus Award officials on Thursday, November 9. The winner will be announced Saturday, December 9, 2006 at the Butkus AwardR Gala in Orlando, Fla. The Butkus Award will be presented to the winner by the award’s namesake former University of Illinois and Chicago Bear NFL Hall of Fame member, Dick Butkus. The finalists, their coaches and families are invited to attend the Butkus AwardR Gala festivities including a welcome reception, golf tournament and silent auction.
The independent Butkus Award Selection Committee for the 2006 Butkus Award, comprised of some of the nation’s foremost journalists, is solely and exclusively responsible for all voting in the Butkus Award selection process. Additional Watch List candidates may be added in the coming weeks due to outstanding in-season play. Voting for the three finalists and the Butkus AwardR winner will be conducted by exclusive confidential ballots of the selection committee.
The Butkus Award is regarded as one of the most elite individual honors in college football. Past recipients include such outstanding linebackers as: Paul Posluszny (2005-Penn State); Derrick Johnson (2004-Texas) Teddy Lehman (2003-Oklahoma); E.J. Henderson (2002-Maryland); Rocky Calmus (2001-Oklahoma); Dan Morgan (2000-Miami (FL); LaVar Arrington (1999-Penn State); Chris Claiborne (1998-Southern California); Andy Katzenmoyer (1997-Ohio State); Matt Russell (1996 Colorado); Kevin Hardy (1995-Illinois); Dana Howard (1994-Illinois); Trev Alberts (1993-Nebraska); Marvin Jones (1992-Florida State); Erick Anderson (1991-Michigan); Alfred Williams (1990-Colorado); Percy Snow (1989-Michigan State); Derrick Thomas (1988-Alabama); Paul McGowan (1997-Florida State); and Brian Bosworth (1985 and 1986-Oklahoma).
Created in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando Inc., the Butkus AwardR carries the name and support of one of the greatest middle linebackers in football history, Dick Butkus.
2006 WATCH LIST
Abbate, Jon – Wake Forest Alexander, Rufus – Oklahoma Alston, Mike – Toledo Andrews, Dwayne – Fresno State Archer, Brandon – Kansas State Beason, Jon – Miami (FL) Bell, Beau – UNLV Bishop, Desmond – California Blades, H.B. – Pittsburgh Bouie, Keyonvis – Florida International Bunting, Nick – Tulsa Caldwell, Rob – Navy Castelo, Matt – San Jose State Coleman, Nelson – Tulsa Collavo, Troy – UTEP Connor, Dan – Penn State Crum, Maurice – Notre Dame Davis, Buster – Florida State Davis, Scott – Washington State Dizon, Jordan – Colorado Edwards, Larry – North Carolina Everett, Earl – Florida Felder, Anthony – California Graves, Phillip – North Texas Hall, KaMichael – Georgia Tech Hall, Korey – Boise State Hall, Vince – Virginia Tech Harris, David – Michigan Harris, Nate – Louisville Herron, David – Michigan State Highsmith, Ali – LSU Holtzclaw, Dan – Eastern Michigan Ismail, Ameer – Western Michigan Jackson, Jarvis – Georgia Jensen, Cameron – BYU Jones, Jeremy – UTEP Koehl, Wade – Houston Latimer, Zach – Oklahoma Leman, J – Illinois Maualuga, Rey – USC McKeon, Corey – Nebraska McLee, Kevin – West Virginia Miles, Edmund – Iowa Muncy, Matt – Ohio Nicholas, Stephen – South Florida Olajubutu, Sam – Arkansas Phillips, Blair – Oregon Phillips, Jason – TCU Posluszny, Paul – Penn State Rivers, Keith – USC Sabb, J.K. – Middle Tennessee Shelvin, John – Minnesota Siler, Brandon – Florida Simpson, Juwan – Alabama Smith, Corey – Cincinnati Smith, Kelvin – Syracuse Smith, Mastaki – UAB Thornton, Dennis – Marshall Toal, Brian – Boston College Warren, Justin – Texas A&M Washington, Thaddaeus – Colorado Waters, Anthony – Clemson Willis, Patrick – Mississippi Woodyard, Wesley – Kentucky Zalewski, Mark – Wisconsin
