July 13, 2015
DeKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University senior cornerback Paris Logan is the latest Huskie to earn a spot on one of the 2015 preseason watch lists being presented this month by members of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). On Monday, Logan was one of 42 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) defensive backs named to the watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award.
Established in 1986 and named for one of history’s greatest all-around athletes, Jim Thorpe Award is annually presented to the top FBS defensive back. The Jim Thorpe Award Watch List is chosen by a screening committee who compile the list of 30-50 players. The Thorpe Award winner is selected from three finalists and will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, December 10, 2015 on ESPN.
Logan, a first-team All Mid-American Conference selection in 2014 as a junior, is one of four MAC players on the 2015 Thorpe Award Watch List. The Columbia, Mo. (Rock Bridge High School) product made 77 tackles, 51 solo, a year ago, to rank fourth on the Huskie team. He ranked 17th in the country in passes defended with 15, and had a streak of 12 straight games with at least one PBU. His three interceptions came in wins at Northwestern and at Ball State, and in the MAC Championship victory over Bowling Green.
A two-year starter, Logan enters his senior season with 128 career tackles, four interceptions and 22 pass break-ups. He is tied for seventh all-time at NIU in career passes defended.
Logan is the second Huskie named to a preseason watch list this year, as center Andrew Ness garnered a spot on both the Rimington Tropy (top center) and Outland Trophy (best interior lineman) lists last week. In 2013, NIU safety Jimmie Ward, the last Huskie player named to the Thorpe Award Watch List, went on to become a semifinalist for the award.
Logan is part of a NIU defense that returns eight starters, including three in the secondary, in 2015. Overall, the Huskies return 16 starters to a program that has won three of the last four Mid-American Conference Championships and made five consecutive appearances in the Marathon MAC Championship game to go with seven consecutive bowl appearances. NIU’s 57 wins over the last five years ranks fourth in the country (FBS) behind only Oregon, Alabama and Florida State.
NIU opens its 2015 season on Sept. 5 in Huskie Stadium versus UNLV. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. (CT) and will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network. The game is the first of six home contests for the 2015 Huskies, who will also celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Huskie Stadium throughout the year.
Season tickets are on sale now with prices as low as $99 for every game, a 61 percent discount off the single game price. Other ticket options include two different three-game mini-plans for just $75, the new Huskie Family Pack, which includes four season tickets in sections A, B, F or G of Huskie Stadium for just $299 or the Young Alumni Ticket, with two East Side season tickets for $115 for all 2014-15 NIU graduates. Faculty and staff, senior citizens (62 and over) and NIU Alumni Association members can purchase season tickets for just $115.
To become an NIU season ticket holder and enjoy the best college football at the best value in Chicagoland six times this fall, go online now to NIUHuskies.com/tickets or call 815-753-PACK (7225). Or check out the premium areas available for 2015, including bench back seating, the Coaches’ Club or the new EndZone Club! For more information, go to huskieathleticfund.com.
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