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BYU's Harline Named Mackey Award Semifinalist
Harline leads the Cougars with 636 receiving yards on the season.
Nov. 21, 2006 PROVO, Utah - BYU senior tight end Jonny Harline has been named one of eight semi-finalists for the 2006 John Mackey Award. Presented by the Nassau County Sports Commission, the Mackey Award honors the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academics and community values of NFL Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey. Harline leads the Cougars with 636 receiving yards on the season, averaging a conference best 57.8 yards per game. As a starter in each of BYU's 11 games this season, Harline has recorded 42 receptions and a team-best eight touchdowns, including a career-long 71-yard catch and run that proved to be the game-winner on Saturday against New Mexico. BYU went on to win the contest, 42-17. Harline's eight touchdowns and 15.1 yards-per-reception are tops among the eight Mackey Award semifinalists. With 636 yards on the season, he ranks second on the list behind Wisconsin's Travis Beckum. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound senior has registered at least 50 yards receiving in seven of the Cougars' 11 games this season, including a season-high 104 yards on six receptions in BYU's 55-7 win over Wyoming. Over the past five games, the native of Orem, Utah has produced 365 yards, averaging 73.0 yards per game. After racking up 63 receptions for 853 yards last season, Harline entered the 2006 campaign as the nation's top-returning tight end. In the Cougars' 31-17 win at No. 15 TCU, Harline made a spectacular one-handed grab over a TCU defender to give the Cougars a commanding 31-10 lead with 7:27 left in the fourth quarter. The play was selected as one of ESPN SportsCenter's Top-10 Plays of the Day. Harline, who is majoring in English with a minor in Spanish, maintains a 3.10 grade-point average and is an Academic All-Mountain West Conference selection. Harline quietly serves throughout the community, providing mentoring to local school students and other youth organizations. Harline is also a skilled guitarist and enjoys playing classic rock. From 2002-2004, Harline served a full-time, two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New York. As a Spanish-speaking missionary, Harline served in various communities, including Harlem, Bronx and Stamford, Conn. The eight semifinalists were determined by confidential balloting by the John Mackey Selection Committee. The 2006 recipient of the Mackey Award will be announced on December 7, 2006 at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show, which will be broadcast live on ESPN and presented at the Nassau County Sports Commission Annual Awards Dinner on April 30, 2007. The Nassau County Sports Commission is a non-profit organization that promotes sports and healthy lifestyles for Nassau County residents and is responsible for the administration of the John Mackey Award and the John Mackey Award Selection Committee. For additional information, please visit www.johnmackeyaward.org or www.nassausports.org.
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