August
22, 2003
ANOTHER WATCH
LIST: NORTHERN ILLINOIS LB NICK DUFFY NAMED CANDIDATE FOR 2003 BUTKUS
AWARD
DeKALB, IL ---
Some guys just deserve such honors. Or maybe, they just look “the
part.” Anyway, you can now officially put Northern Illinois
University senior linebacker Nick Duffy and the esteemed Butkus
Award in the same sentence.
The 6-foot-2,
238-pound Huskie quint-captain and middle linebacker was named to
the pre-season Butkus Award watch list by the Downtown Athletic
Club of Orlando Wednesday (August 21). Duffy was one of eight Mid-American
Conference linebackers making the cut among the 89 national candidates.
“Nick has
had a great career here,” said Northern Illinois head football
coach Joe Novak. “This is a well-deserved honor. This type
of recognition is perfect for the start of his senior season. He
loves playing football. The game is important to him. He’s
tough, strong, big, and pursues to the ball. He’s the leader,
the combat-tested veteran of our defense.”
Heading into
2003 and the Huskies’ season-opener August 28 against nationally
ranked University of Maryland, Duffy
ranked among the elite linebackers in major-college football. During
the summer, No. 45 was touted the No. 6 middle linebacker in the
nation by the NFL Draft Blitz website, the No. 16 LB in the country
by The Sporting News, and the No. 23 backer in the 1-A ranks by
Phil Steel’s College Football, plus made four pre-season First-Team
All-MAC squads.
Duffy (Wheaton
/ Warrenville South) ranks as one of the most prolific tacklers
in the country over the past two years
(247 stops) and begins the season No. 22 on the school’s all-time
hit list with 277 career hits. In 2002, he finished No. 22 in National
Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1-A solo tackles (79) and
was voted Second-Team All-MAC by the league’s coaches.
Two years ago,
Duffy was the top sophomore hitman in major-college football with
125 total tackles and became the first Northern Illinois soph Most
Valuable Player since All-Century and Honorable Mention All-America
linebacker Frank Lewandoski in 1977. No. 45 set a career-best with
a league-high 22 hits vs. No. 38-ranked Marshall and produced 18
stops a week later vs. No. 25 Toledo---one of the best back-to-back
tackle performances in school history.
Career-wise,
Duffy heads into his senior campaign with a string of 23 consecutive
starts, 11 twin-digit hit outings, and 2,209 oveall snaps in 33
Huskie appearances during 2000-02.
Duffy represents
the fourth current Northern Illinois standout named on a pre-season
national award watch list. The others include senior center Todd
Ghilani (Elkhorn, WI / Area) for both the Outland and Rimington
trophies, junior defensive end Travis Moore (Robbins / Blue Island
Eisenhower) for the Rotary Lombardi Award, and senior placekicker
Steve Azar (Colorado Springs, CO / Highlands Ranch) for the Lou
Groza Collegiate Placekicker Award.
Earlier this
summer, Huskie senior tailback Michael “The Burner” Turner
(North Chicago) was nominated for the Doak Walker National Runningback
Award.
The other seven
2003 MAC Butkus Award pre-season candidates include Dennis Chukwuemeka
of Ohio University, Anthony Henriquez of Kent State University,
Keon Jackson of the University of Toledo, Terrell Jones of Miami
(OH) University, J. T. Rembert of Marshall University, Stanford
Rhule of the University of Central Florida, and Lorenzo Scott of
Ball State University.
Regarded as
one of the most elite individual honors in college football, the
Butkus Award was created in 1985 and carries the name and support
of one of the greatest middle linebackers in football history, Dick
Butkus. The Butkus Award watch list will be trimmed to 10 semi-finalists
October 16. Three finalists will be selected on November 13. The
2003 winner will be announced December 12. The 2002 Butkus Award
recipient was University of Maryland linebacker E. J. Henderson.
(For further
information, please contact Mike Korcek) -30-
