University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Davis And Boley Named To Lombardi Watch List
5/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Davis And Boley Named To Lombardi Watch List
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? The Executive Committee of the Rotary Lombardi Committee has identified 39 Division I football players who have met the established criteria and have been named to the preliminary Watch List of candidates for the 34th annual award.
That list includes linebackers Rod Davis and Michael Boley of the University of Southern Miss, and two other players from Conference USA, offensive lineman Brian Rimpf of East Carolina and defensive lineman Bo Schobel of TCU.
For the second consecutive year, the Rotary Lombardi Award Dinner will be held on the field of Reliant Stadium in Houston. This year?s gala event will be held on Wednesday, December 10.
The 39 preliminary candidates earned a place on the initial Watch List by earning All-American honors at the end of the 2002 season, or by being named to their respective All Conference team as selected by the conference?s head coaches. The Watch List will be updated prior to the start of the 2003 season, in order to identify those players who have been selected as preseason honors candidates.
Eligibility for the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen and those defensive players who line up within five yards of the football.
While the Watch List highlights players who have already received national recognition, any Division I player who meets the position requirements is eligible for consideration from the Rotary Lombardi Selection Committee, which is comprised of nearly 300 members, including all Division I head coaches, former winners, sportswriters and broadcasters. The Rotary Lombardi Watch List, intended as a reference tool for the Selection Committee, will be periodically updated and revised through the conclusion of the voting to determine the 12 semifinalists for 2003.
?The release of our Watch List is just another indication that the activities surrounding our event never cease,? said Riley Hetherington, 2003 Rotary Lombardi Committee Chairman. ?We are only about 100 days from the start of the college football season, so it is not too soon to begin to identify who we will be bringing to the field at Reliant Stadium in December.?
Now in its 34th year of honoring the top lineman in Division I football, the Rotary Lombardi Award Dinner has raised over $2.7 million for The American Cancer Society since it was first held in 1970. Table sales for the 2003 Lombardi Award Dinner are currently underway.
For more information about participating in, or supporting the 2003 Dinner as a sponsor, please call the Rotary Office (713) 973-9936 or visit www.rotarylombardiaward.com.
The award is the latest for Davis, who in 2002 was named a first-team All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com and the All-American Football Foundation, a third-team selection by The Associated Press, a third-team selection by The Sporting News and honorable-mention by CNNSI.com.
Davis, who received the 2002 Conerly Trophy signifying the top player in the state of Mississippi, was also a first-team All-Conference USA member for the second year in a row. He led Southern Miss in tackles (168), solo tackles (122), sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (23.5) and was ranked among the nation?s best in each of the listed categories, No. 3 in solo tackles, tied for No. 6 in total tackles, tied for 13th in tackles for loss and No. 18 in sacks.
One of only two returning AP All-American linebackers, Davis averaged 12.9 tackles a game, 0.81 sacks a game and 1.8 tackles for loss per game. He also registered two interceptions, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He led Conference USA in tackles, solo tackles and sacks and was second in tackles for loss.
Recently, he also was named to the Playboy Preseason All-America team, joining Ray Guy (1972) as the only Southern Miss players ever to receive this award.
Boley played in all 13 games last season and finished the year as the Golden Eagles? second leading tackler, behind Davis, with 142 total stops. His totals included 16 tackles for loss and eight quarterback sacks, and he recorded two interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
