Dec. 13, 2002
Orlando, Fla. – Notre Dame head coach Tyrone Willingham was the winner of the 14th Annual George Munger Award for College Coach of the Year announced as part of the nationally televised Home Depot College Football Awards program which aired Thursday night from Disney World on ESPN.
Willingham received 466 votes of the 956 votes cast. In second place with 203 votes was Jim Tressell of Ohio State University; University of Miami’s Larry Coker was third with 102 votes. The remaining 185 votes were divided among eight other coaches.
Larry Johnson, Penn State University tailback won the 66th Annual Maxwell Football Club’s College Player of the Year Award. Larry Johnson received 341 first place votes of the 971 cast. Ken Dorsey from the University of Miami, last year’s Maxwell Football Club’s winner, was second with 246 votes. Iowa’s Brad Banks was third with 198 votes. The remaining 186 first place votes were divided among nine others.
Also announced was the Eighth Annual College Defensive Player of the Year named in honor of College and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Chuck Bednarik, which was won by University of Maryland’s E. J. Henderson with 209 votes of the 895 cast, narrowly beating Terrell Suggs of Arizona State University who had 199 votes. Third place went to Tommie Harris from the University of Oklahoma with 157 votes. The remaining 330 votes were divided among 23 other players.
Voters for all the Maxwell College Awards are NCAA Head College Football Coaches, Athletic Directors and SIDs, members of the Maxwell Football Club & sportswriters and sportscasters from across the country.
The Maxwell Football Club’s National Awards dinner will be held onFebruary 25, 2003. For more information contact Bob Clark at bobclark@maxwellfootballclub.org