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- Thread starter 3yardsandacloud
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Hawk Hits Awards Circuit
Buckeyes' MVP to keep journal this week about his travels
<!-- remove this block --> <!-- end block --> Dec. 7, 2005
Tuesday is the first journal entry of A.J. Hawk, the Buckeye linebacker, co-captain and team MVP. First up, the award tour is the Rotary Lombardi Award in Houston on Wednesday. Then the senior from Centerville, Ohio, is off to Orlando for the College Football Awards Show on Thursday. The Cingular ABC All-America Team is Friday and the Butkus Award is Saturday. The College Football Awards Show will be televised live Thursday from 7-9 p.m. on ESPN and the Cingular All-America Team will be televised Saturday at 2 p.m. on ABC Sports. Tuesday, Dec. 6
I had to be up at 4:30 this morning to be on a 6:20 flight to go to Houston with my parents for the Lombardi Award. We got here and met two of the other finalists - Rod Wright (Texas) and Elvis Dumerville (the Nagurski winner from Louisville) - at the airport and then came back to the hotel for a little bit. At about noon, we had a little lunch and an orientation about the award and what we were going to do today.
I didn't know much about the award and didn't realize it helps the American Cancer Society. I didn't learn that until today. Each year they give a lot of money to the American Cancer Society. Also, four players from Ohio State have won this award five times and I think that is more than any other school, so it is something special just to be here and it is a big honor for me. I am looking forward to tomorrow's events.
After that we went to the Burnett Bayland Home for Juveniles. The kids there were between the ages of 11 and 17. Each one of the finalists spoke to the kids for a little while and let them know how we felt when we were their age and about how important it is to make good decisions in life. I signed some autographs with Miss Texas, the girl that was there with us. Then we went to a pizza place for a snack and then headed off to be on an ESPN radio show for a little bit.
I had met Rod Wright once before at another function like this out in Phoenix. He is a great guy and obviously, I got to play against him and have known him for a little while. Elvis Dumerville, from Louisville, is a great guy, and obviously I have seen him play this year. You see him all the time on ESPN. He has 20 sacks this year and is coming close to breaking the 24-sack record in college. Paul Posluszny (Penn State) came in later tonight because he had a test. I met him once before at the Big Ten Kickoff in Chicago. All the guys are great guys and it is good to sit there and bounce ideas back and forth with them.
Tonight there was a reception for the finalists with the people who put on the award and other VIPs. Tomorrow, I have to get up at 6:30 and do it all over again.
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Hawk Enjoys Second Day in Houston for Rotary Lombardi Award
<blank></blank>Dec. 7, 2005 <!-- remove this block --> <!-- end block -->
This is the second journal entry by A.J. Hawk, the Buckeye linebacker, co-captain and team MVP. Hawk began a six-day award tour Tuesday in Houston for the Lombardi Award which will be presented Wednesday night.. He'll be in Orlando for the College Football Awards Show on Thursday and the Cingular ABC All-America Team program on Friday before his trip to Florida ends Saturday with the Butkus Award presentation. On Sunday, Hawk will be in Huntington Beach, Calif. for the Lott Trophy presentation. The College Football Awards Show will be televised live Thursday from 7-9 p.m. on ESPN and the Cingular All-America Team will be televised Saturday at 2 p.m. on ABC Sports. Wednesday, Dec. 7
It was an early morning today. We had to visit a couple of different hospitals. We went to Texas Childrens' Hospital first and then went to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. It was great to be a part of that and see all the little kids. They really appreciated it a lot. There are a lot of good things they are doing here. They said it is one of the best cancer hospitals in the country.
I think the highlight for me was visiting the hospitals was going on the kids radio show - Lollipop Radio - at Texas Childrens' Hospital. The kids that were asking us questions did a great job. I think they asked some funny questions and they seemed to handle themselves very well. They did a great job. It was fun to go on and get some questions you normally don't get asked.
The kids really appreciated it and seemed to enjoy it. After that we went to the Rotary House (International) and had some lunch. Then it was off to the tuxedo store to get fitted for our tuxes for the banquet tonight. We took them back to the hotel and then had a little while to relax before the big night tonight.
Who knows about the award tonight? Any one of us could win it. I wouldn't be surprised. I heard we have to go to a pretty long banquet tonight, but everyone says they enjoy it. We get to go and meet a lot of good people.
We're getting taken around town in first-class style. It is nice. I've never been in an Excursion limo like they are taking us around in, so you feel like you're on your senior prom the whole time. It is fun to be a part of this and I am really soaking it in. I have to leave tomorrow and move on to the next one, but I'll be sure to send in an update after the presentation tonight.
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That is so cool...although they picked the least gregarious guy they could find to keep a journal.
I was checking out some stuff on ESPN earlier and they project AJ as the #4 player taken in the draft behind Bush, Leinart and Ferguson. If the season ended today, that would mean AJ could end up in Green Bay.
I was checking out some stuff on ESPN earlier and they project AJ as the #4 player taken in the draft behind Bush, Leinart and Ferguson. If the season ended today, that would mean AJ could end up in Green Bay.
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Just got off the phone with the guy at FOX7 KTBC in Austin. He said he has also received reports that Hawk has won, but cannot officially confirm yet.
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Link
Ohio State's Hawk wins Lombardi Award
By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer
<!--endtext--> <script language="JavaScript"> <!-- Begin function popUp(URL) { day = new Date(); id = day.getTime(); if (URL.match(/qtplayer/)) { eval("page" + id + " = window.open(URL, '" + id + "', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=1,location=0,statusbar=1,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=440,height=300,left = 300,top = 200');"); } else { eval("page" + id + " = window.open(URL, '" + id + "', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=1,location=0,statusbar=1,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=440,height=220,left = 300,top = 200');"); } } // End --> </script> <!--mt--> <!--begintext--> HOUSTON — Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk won the Rotary Lombardi Award as the nation's top college lineman or linebacker Wednesday night, becoming the fifth Buckeye to receive the honor.
The other three finalists were Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil, Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny and Texas defensive tackle Rod Wright.
<!--endtext--> <!--begintext--> "Anyone who's up for any kind of award, it's a reflection of the team and the guys around them," said Hawk, Ohio State's leading tackler for three straight seasons. "A lot of people don't realize how much the other 10 guys out there help."
About 250 coaches, former finalists and media members voted for the award, given annually by the Houston Rotary Club. Chuck Poole, the event's public relations director, said the club does not release a breakdown of the votes.
Hawk is the first Buckeye to win since Orlando Pace won for the second time in 1996. Jim Stillwagon (1970), John Hicks (1973) and Chris Spielman (1987) also won the award for Ohio State.
The 6-foot-1, 240-pound Hawk was also named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year this year by a panel of coaches and media. He's also in the running for the Walter Camp (player of the year), Bednarik (best defensive player) and Butkus (best linebacker) awards.
The Lombardi Award was initiated by Houston's rotary club in 1970, shortly after its Hall of Fame namesake — Vince Lombardi — died of cancer.
The design of the 40-pound trophy — a block of granite mounted on a steel base — is a nod to Lombardi's college playing days. Before guiding the Green Bay Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowls, Lombardi was an offensive guard at Fordham in the 1930s, part of a unit nicknamed the "Seven Blocks of Granite."
Hawk was a little surprised to win. He couldn't pinpoint one performance where he felt like he did everything right.
"It's tough to pick a best game because some games I made some big plays, but then missed a couple of tackles and didn't execute, and then other times, I didn't make big plays but felt like I did execute," he said. "Each game, there are always a couple of things I didn't like that I did."
Still, he did enough.
The senior led Ohio State this season with 109 tackles and 13 behind the line. He ranks fifth on the school's all-time tackles list with 382 heading into Ohio State's Fiesta Bowl matchup with Notre Dame.
He also led a defense that was the nation's best against the run, giving up only 74.5 yards per game. The Buckeyes also led the Big Ten in scoring, passing and total defense.
Hawk won the award in Wright's hometown.
The 6-5, 315-pound Wright starred at Alief Hastings High School and had his mother, father and sister in the audience.
Wright said the second-ranked Longhorns have already started studying No. 1 USC, the team they'll play for the national championship in the Rose Bowl.
"You can't help but see Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and the guys and that offense, you can't help but see the highlights," Wright said. "We have a pretty good idea what we're dealing with."
The 6-foot, 256-pound Dumervil leads the nation with 20 sacks. The senior also set an NCAA record with 10 forced fumbles, broke up four passes and intercepted a pass.
The 6-2, 229-pound Posluszny ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 111 tackles. He was the only junior among the finalists.
None of the four coaches attended the ceremony.
___
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'); } else { timeZone = date.toString(); tzLength = timeZone.length; tzOffset = tzLength - 8; civilianTimeZone = timeZone.substr(tzOffset, 3); if (civilianTimeZone.match(reg)) { document.writeln(civilianTimeZone, '</p>'); } } //-->*</script>
Ohio State's Hawk wins Lombardi Award
By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer
<!--endtext--> <script language="JavaScript"> <!-- Begin function popUp(URL) { day = new Date(); id = day.getTime(); if (URL.match(/qtplayer/)) { eval("page" + id + " = window.open(URL, '" + id + "', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=1,location=0,statusbar=1,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=440,height=300,left = 300,top = 200');"); } else { eval("page" + id + " = window.open(URL, '" + id + "', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=1,location=0,statusbar=1,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=440,height=220,left = 300,top = 200');"); } } // End --> </script> <!--mt--> <!--begintext--> HOUSTON — Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk won the Rotary Lombardi Award as the nation's top college lineman or linebacker Wednesday night, becoming the fifth Buckeye to receive the honor.
The other three finalists were Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil, Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny and Texas defensive tackle Rod Wright.
<!--endtext--> <!--begintext--> "Anyone who's up for any kind of award, it's a reflection of the team and the guys around them," said Hawk, Ohio State's leading tackler for three straight seasons. "A lot of people don't realize how much the other 10 guys out there help."
About 250 coaches, former finalists and media members voted for the award, given annually by the Houston Rotary Club. Chuck Poole, the event's public relations director, said the club does not release a breakdown of the votes.
Hawk is the first Buckeye to win since Orlando Pace won for the second time in 1996. Jim Stillwagon (1970), John Hicks (1973) and Chris Spielman (1987) also won the award for Ohio State.
The 6-foot-1, 240-pound Hawk was also named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year this year by a panel of coaches and media. He's also in the running for the Walter Camp (player of the year), Bednarik (best defensive player) and Butkus (best linebacker) awards.
The Lombardi Award was initiated by Houston's rotary club in 1970, shortly after its Hall of Fame namesake — Vince Lombardi — died of cancer.
The design of the 40-pound trophy — a block of granite mounted on a steel base — is a nod to Lombardi's college playing days. Before guiding the Green Bay Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowls, Lombardi was an offensive guard at Fordham in the 1930s, part of a unit nicknamed the "Seven Blocks of Granite."
Hawk was a little surprised to win. He couldn't pinpoint one performance where he felt like he did everything right.
"It's tough to pick a best game because some games I made some big plays, but then missed a couple of tackles and didn't execute, and then other times, I didn't make big plays but felt like I did execute," he said. "Each game, there are always a couple of things I didn't like that I did."
Still, he did enough.
The senior led Ohio State this season with 109 tackles and 13 behind the line. He ranks fifth on the school's all-time tackles list with 382 heading into Ohio State's Fiesta Bowl matchup with Notre Dame.
He also led a defense that was the nation's best against the run, giving up only 74.5 yards per game. The Buckeyes also led the Big Ten in scoring, passing and total defense.
Hawk won the award in Wright's hometown.
The 6-5, 315-pound Wright starred at Alief Hastings High School and had his mother, father and sister in the audience.
Wright said the second-ranked Longhorns have already started studying No. 1 USC, the team they'll play for the national championship in the Rose Bowl.
"You can't help but see Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and the guys and that offense, you can't help but see the highlights," Wright said. "We have a pretty good idea what we're dealing with."
The 6-foot, 256-pound Dumervil leads the nation with 20 sacks. The senior also set an NCAA record with 10 forced fumbles, broke up four passes and intercepted a pass.
The 6-2, 229-pound Posluszny ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 111 tackles. He was the only junior among the finalists.
None of the four coaches attended the ceremony.
___
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WaitingforKickoff
Legend
Congrats to AJ! Hopefully it'll be the first of many to come for him.:)
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