Spikes Named Finalist For 2009 Butkus Award
Friday, November 20, 2009 | Football
Senior linebacker Brandon Spikes (Shelby, N.C.) was named as one of the five finalists for the 25th Annual Butkus Award® honoring the nation's top football linebacker on Friday. The finalists include three candidates from the Southeastern Conference and two from the Big 12 Conference:
· Rolando McClain, Alabama
· Sergia Kindle, Texas
· Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri
· Brandon Spikes, FLORIDA
· Eric Norwood, South Carolina
McClain, Weatherspoon and Spikes were finalists in 2008. In mid-October, Spikes was named as the SEC Defensive Player of the Week following the Gators' win over No. 4 LSU in Death Valley, when he had a team and season-high 11 tackles, including a career-high three quarterback sacks for a loss of 14 yards. He ranks fourth on Florida with 45 tackles, with 4.5 tackles for loss, along with an interception that was returned for a touchdown against Georgia and a fumble recovery at South Carolina.
The winner will be announced on or before Tuesday, Dec. 8. Meanwhile, a professional Butkus Award winner will be selected later in the season. More information is available at www.thebutkusaward.com.
The Butkus Award is selected by a 51-person panel comprised mostly of scouts, coaches and journalists, and coordinated by Hub Arkush of Pro Football Weekly. Selectors follow all rules of their leagues. Individual votes remain completely confidential.
The Butkus Award is named after Dick Butkus, who is considered one of the greatest football players in history. Butkus was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979, following an illustrious career with the Chicago Bears, University of Illinois and Chicago Vocational School. Butkus and his son, Matt, want the Award to draw attention to the I Play Clean? campaign, which aims to end steroid use in organized sports. More information is available at www.iplayclean.org.
The Butkus Award is part of the National College Football Awards Association, a coalition of the major collegiate awards. More information is available at www.NCFAA.org.
-UF-
