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Utah's Weddle Named 2006 Thorpe Award Semifinalist
The award is given annually to the nation's best college defensive back.
Nov. 8, 2006 OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Utah senior defensive back Eric Weddle was named one of 11 semifinalists for The Jim Thorpe Award announced by the Screening Committee in Oklahoma City. The award is given annually to the nation's best college defensive back. Weddle currently leads the Mountain West Conference and is ranked No. 5 in the nation with six interceptions. He has scored four touchdowns on the year, including two on interceptions, one on a fumble return and one on offense. Weddle also has 35 tackles on the year. The list will be narrowed on November 20, to three finalists who will be invited to the nationally telecast ESPN College Football Awards Show on December 7, 2006. The winner will be announced on the show and the official presentation will be at a formal banquet in Oklahoma City on February 12, 2007. The 2006 award makes the 20th anniversary of the trophy, first presented in 1986 to Baylor's Thomas Everett. Everett and Miami's Bennie Blades, the second Thorpe Award winner, will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame during ceremonies in New York on December 5. Thorpe Award winners are selected for performance on the field, athletic ability and character. Last year's winner was University of Texas standout Michael Huff, now playing for the Oakland Raiders. The last student-athlete from a current Mountain West Conference team to win the award was Greg Myers of Colorado State in 1995. The 2006 semi-finalists are:
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