Marshall University Athletics
Leftwich Earns Vern Smith Award For 2002
12/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Leftwich Earns Vern Smith Award For 2002
12/6/2002
Byron Leftwich |
CLEVELAND, OH ? Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich, who yesterday was honored as the Mid-American Conference?s Offensive Player of the Year, was named the 2002 Vern Smith Leadership Award winner. For both awards, Leftwich was a repeat winner from 2001.
The award is emblematic of the best football player in the MAC and is voted on by all 14 MAC head coaches and selected media members representing the league?s 14 schools. The award is named for former University of Toledo Athletics Director Vern Smith.
Leftwich, a senior, is having a record setting season in leading the Thundering Herd to a 9-2 record and to a sixth consecutive MAC Championship game.
Leftwich ranks third nationally and second in the MAC in passing efficiency at 157.3. He has completed 277-of-405 attempts for 3,615 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Leftwich has recovered from a serious high ankle sprain injury sustained Nov. 2 at Akron to lead the Herd to late-season wins over Ohio and Ball State to clinch the East Division title.
Leftwich is 517 passing yards shy of the MAC single season record of 4,132 yards he set last year. With 50 more passing yards, he will become the league?s all-time leader as he has 11,250, just behind the 11,299 of Western Michigan?s Tim Lester from 1996-99. Last week, Leftwich became the league?s career leader in total of-fense with 11,408 yards.
Leftwich was a semifinalist for three of the top awards in college football - the Johnny Unitas Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and the Davey O?Brien Quarterback Award. He is also a candidate for the Heisman Trophy Award with finalists yet to be announced.
Marshall will play Toledo Saturday afternoon at 2:30 in the sixth MAC Championship game, to be televised on ESPN2. Marshall has already accepted a berth in the GMAC Bowl, with Louisville as the opponent, to be held Dec. 18 in Mobile, Ala.
Tickets for both games are available through the Marshall Atheltic Ticket Office. Call 1-800-THE-HERD for more information.
Leftwich received 19 of the 30 votes cast for the award. Northern Illinois running back Michael Turner earned nine votes with one vote each going to Ohio running back Chad Brinker and Eastern Michigan wide receiver Kevin Walter.
Also nominated by their respective institutions for the Vern Smith Leadership Award were Charlie Frye, Akron; Marcus Merriweather, Ball State; Josh Harris, Bowling Green; Andre Forde, Buffalo; Robbie Mixon, Central Michigan; Doug Gabriel, UCF; Jared Fritz, Kent State; Ben Roethlisberger, Miami; Tom Ward, Toledo; and Jason Babin, Western Michigan.
Vern Smith Leadership Award Winners
(Jefferson Award from 1982-86)
2002 Byron Leftwich, Marshall
2001 Byron Leftwich, Marshall
2000 Robert Sanford, Western Michigan
1999 Chad Pennington, Marshall
1998 Travis Prentice, Miami
1997 Randy Moss, Marshall
1996 Brad Maynard, Ball State
1995 Wasean Tait, Toledo
1994 Brian Pruitt, Central Michigan
1993 Mike Neu, Ball State
1992 Erik White, Bowling Green
1991 Erik White, Bowling Green
1990 Jeff Bender, Central Michigan
1989 David Riley, Ball State
1988 Tony Kimbrough, Western Michigan
1987 Eric Wilkerson, Kent State
1986 Terry Morris, Miami
1985 Brian McClure, Bowling Green
1984 Brian McClure, Bowling Green
1983 Tim Tyrrell, Northern Illinois
1982 Ray Bentley, Central Michigan