Aug. 28, 2008
DALLAS –
University of New Mexico senior Rodney Ferguson – a two-time first team all-Mountain West Conference selection – has been named a preseason candidate for the 2008 Doak Walker Award. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top college running back. The field of candidates also includes the nation’s leading returning rusher, Eugene Jarvis, from Kent State. Other candidates include the leading returning rushers from the Big 10 (Chris Wells, Ohio State); the Big 12 (Marlon Lucky, Nebraska); and the SEC (Knowshon Moreno, Georgia).
The Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will select the semifinalists on November 10, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast votes to determine the finalists, who will be announced on November 24. The committee will cast a second vote beginning on December 1 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 2008 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on ESPN on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on Thursday, December 11. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at The Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, on Friday, February 6, 2009.
The award, in its 19th 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.