|
|
|
BYU's Dennis Pitta Named Semifinalist for 2009 John Mackey Award
Senior is one eight candidates for nation's top tight end honor
Nov. 17, 2009
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - BYU senior tight end Dennis Pitta is one of eight semifinalists for the 2009 John Mackey Award, The Nassau County Sports Commission has announced.The eight semifinalists were determined by confidential balloting of the John Mackey Selection Committee. The 2009 John Mackey Award finalists will be released on Monday, November 23, and the 2009 recipient of "The Mackey" will be announced at the Home Depot ESPNU College football Awards Show, live on December 10 on ESPN. Pitta is a two-time first-team all-Mountain West Conference performer. This season, he ranks fifth and sixth in the league, respectively, in receiving yards (624) and receptions (45). The Moorpark, Calif., native has caught a pass in 40 consecutive games, which ranks fourth in the nation among active FBS players. Pitta also leads all active tight ends nationally with 2,696 career receiving yards to rank 13th on the list of receivers overall. NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey is considered to be the best to have played the tight end position. A tight end by whom all others are measured, Mackey was a role model on and off the field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to community and his place in history as the first President of the NFLPA. The John Mackey Award, presented since 2000, lists eight NFL players as alumni: Dallas Clark ('01) of the 2006 Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts, two-time Super Bowl Champion Daniel Graham ('02) of the Denver Broncos, Kellen Winslow II ('03) of the Tampa Bay Bucaneers, two-time Super Bowl Champion Heath Miller ('04) of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Marcedes Lewis ('05) of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Matt Spaeth ('06) of the of the 2008 Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, Fred Davis ('07) of the Washington Redskins and the 2008 John Mackey Award recipient Chase Coffman of the Cincinnati Bengals.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
