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LAKE BUENA VISTA - The one that really matters is this Saturday, but Touchdown Timmy Tebow picked up two prestigious honors on Thursday night at the Home Depot College Football Award Show.
Tebow, whose name can't be mentioned anymore without a commentator pointing out he threw for 29 touchdowns and ran for 22 scores, won the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback and the Maxwell Award as the nation's best all-around player. He beat out Oregon's Dennis Dixon and Missouri's Chase Daniel for the former and Dixon and Arkansas running back Darren McFadden for the latter.
He is the first sophomore to win the Davey O'Brien Award in its 27-year history. Eleven of the 14 quarterbacks who have won the Heisman Trophy in that span also won the O'Brien the same year.
Tebow singled out UF offensive coordinator Dan Mullen when he accepted the Davey O'Brien award on the stage at the Atlantic Dance Hall at Walt Disney World Resort.
"This is a quarterback award for the best quarterback in the country, and he's my quarterback coach," Tebow said. "I'm thankful for what he's done for me."
Tebow completed 217 of 317 passes for 3,132 yards and 29 touchdowns with only six interceptions, ranking second in the NCAA in passing efficiency behind Oklahoma's Sam Bradford. He also rushed for 838 yards, and his 22 rushing touchdowns were an SEC record for a player at any position.
"I'm so proud of the work he put in to become the player he has," Mullen said. "It's a great honor for me to work with him every day."
Less than half (34) of the 70 players who won the Maxwell Award also won the Heisman in the same year, and recent history is even worse for Tebow. The two awards have differed for the last seven years, with the Maxwell going to Drew Brees (2000), Ken Dorsey (2001), Larry Johnson (2002), Eli Manning (2003), Jason White (2004), Vince Young (2005) and Brady Quinn (2006) and the Heisman going to Chris Weinke (2000), Eric Crouch (2001), Carson Palmer (2002), Jason White (2003), Matt Leinart (2004), Reggie Bush (2005) and Troy Smith (2006).
All indications are Tebow will end that streak on Saturday - every survey of Heisman voters has him in front - but the last dual winner was Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne in 1999.
"What can you say?" Tebow said. "It's just a privilege and an honor. It's just a great award, and to win it over McFadden and Dixon, two great players, is something I'm very thankful for. I tried not to think about it and just have fun and not worry about whether I won or lost the awards."
Tebow joined Danny Wuerffel (1996) as the only UF players to win the Maxwell Award.
"Danny meant a lot to me, and I talked to him before these awards," Tebow said. "He just gave me a lot of advice, and he handled it really well. I'm just going to try to handle it like he did."
He actually has more hype than Wuerffel ever did because he brings a linebacker's size (6-foot-2, 235 pounds) and mentality to his position. Former Oklahoma halfback Tommie McDonald, who won the Maxwell in 1956 and announced Tebow as the 2007 winner, chest bumped him as he walked on the stage to accept the honor. Master of ceremonies Chris Fowler said he had warned McDonald that might not be a good idea.
"You're right," McDonald said. "He's solid, babe."
Tebow also was selected as the quarterback on the Walter Camp All-America team, but McFadden was named Player of the Year. The Walter Camp and Heisman Trophy winners have been the same for the last three seasons.
McFadden claimed the Doak Walker Award as the best running back. LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey earned the Outland Trophy, which goes to the best interior lineman, but lost to Penn State linebacker Dan Connor for the Chuck Bednarik Trophy (best defensive player).
winning the hardware
winning the hardware
Good article.
Rad, you should buy a ticket and be the BA sideline reporter for the Heisman ceremony Sat. night.
Rad, you should buy a ticket and be the BA sideline reporter for the Heisman ceremony Sat. night.
I am the law, bitches!
winning the hardware
i shot a text to tebow last night...told him that the filipino community of staten island new york wanted him to be their keynote speaker.
he's not responded.
he's not responded.
winning the hardware
I hope you didn't include your Radbag avatar...that will make it certain you won't hear from him! The only thing I want in life right now is to get a picture of him holding Nate. I told Bill he is going to have to make that happen soon...maybe at the next coaches clinic up there. Bill can take Nate down to the locker room and get it. I just wish I could go down there too! [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_evil.gif[/img]
Okay, let's try this!
