Sept. 2, 2005
DALLAS – For the third straight year, University of New Mexico senior DonTrell Moore has been announced a preseason candidate for the Doak Walker Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top college running back. The SMU Athletic Forum announced the candidates for the 2005 Doak Walker Award on Thursday.
Moore, a 2003 All-American and three-time first team all-Mountain West Conference selection, will attempt to become just the sixth player in the history of NCAA Division I-A football to reach 1,000 yards rushing four times in a career. Eight months after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee, the Roswell, N.M. native is expected to be in the starting lineup when the Lobos open the 2005 season at home against UNLV on Monday, Sept. 5. Moore enters the year just 187 yards shy of Mike Williams’ UNM rushing record of 3,862 yards, set from 1975-78.
The field of candidates includes Memphis senior DeAngelo Williams, the nation’s leading returning rusher (1948 yds.). Other candidates include USC junior Reggie Bush, a semifinalist for the award in 2004; University of North Texas senior Patrick Cobbs and sophomore Jamario Thomas, who led the nation in rushing yards per game in 2003 and 2004, respectively; Michigan sophomore Mike Hart who led the Big Ten with 1,455 yards last season; and Oklahoma sophomore Adrian Peterson who led the Big 12 in rushing yards and was a finalist for the award in 2004.
The complete list of candidates, who were nominated by their universities, follows:
Joseph Addai (Sr.), LSU
Chris Barclay (Sr.), Wake Forest
Mike Bell (Sr.), Arizona
Brett Biggs (Sr.), Akron
Ahmad Bradshaw (So.), Marshall
Cornell Brockington (Jr.), Connecticut
Curtis Brown (Jr.), BYU
Thomas Brown (So.), Georgia
Michael Bush (Jr.), Louisville
Reggie Bush (Jr.), USC
Patrick Cobbs (Sr.), North Texas
P.J. Daniels (Sr.), Georgia Tech
Maurice Drew (Jr.), UCLA
Tyler Ebell (Sr.), UTEP
Anthony Evans (Sr.), Houston
Quinton Ganther (Sr.), Utah
Lynell Hamilton (So.), San Diego State
Mike Hart (So.), Michigan
Taurean Henderson (Sr.), Texas Tech
Stevie Hicks (Jr.), Iowa
Peyton Hillis (So.), Arkansas
Carlton Jones (Sr.), Army
Brian Leonard (Sr.), Rutgers
Courtney Lewis (Jr.), Texas A&M
Rafael Little (So.), Kentucky
Wali Lundy (Sr.), Virginia
Marshawn Lynch (So.), UC Berkeley
Lee Marks (Sr.), Boise State
Reggie Merriweather (Jr.), Clemson
DonTrell Moore (Sr.), New Mexico
Tyrone Moss (Jr.), Miami
Jerious Norwood (Sr.), Mississippi State
Uril Parrish (Sr.), Tulsa
Adrian Peterson (So.), Oklahoma
P.J. Pope (Sr.), Bowling Green
Damien Rhodes (Sr.), Syracuse
Cory Ross (Sr.), Nebraska
Jamario Thomas (So.), North Texas
Pierre Thomas (Jr.), Illinois
Lawrence Vickers (Sr.), Colorado
Jerod Void (Sr.), Purdue
Danny Ware (So.), Georgia
Leon Washington (Sr.), Florida State
LenDale White (Jr.), USC
Terrence Whitehead (Sr.), Oregon
DeAngelo Williams (Sr.), Memphis
Garrett Wolfe (Jr.), Northern Illinois
The SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will select the semifinalists on Nov. 17, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will vote to determine the finalists on Nov. 18. The committee will cast a second vote on Nov. 28 to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee consists of former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives.
The recipient of the 2005 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on ESPN along with other NCFAA member awards on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 8. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at The Wyndham Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, Feb. 27, 2006.
Former Texas running back Cedric Benson, first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears, won the 2004 Doak Walker Award.
The award, in its 16th year, is named for SMU’s three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. It is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.
Moore will graduate with a degree in Criminology in December of 2005.