FORT WORTH, Texas (Dec. 10, 2009) –  The Davey O’Brien Foundation added another member to its elite group of quarterbacks today when they named Colt McCoy as the 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Winner. McCoy was selected as a Finalist for The O’Brien along with Houston’s Case Keenum and Florida’s Tim Tebow. Troy Aikman, the 1988 O’Brien Winner, presented the award during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show from Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

“Colt McCoy has led his team to an undefeated season and a berth in the BCS National Championship game. As a starter, he’s led Texas to more wins than any other college quarterback. Ever. And, he’s a great student. Those are just a couple of reasons why Colt McCoy is a richly deserving winner of the 2009 O’Brien Award,” said Verne Lundquist, chair of the national selection committee.

This season, McCoy led the undefeated No. 2 Texas Longhorns to their first Big 12 Championship since 2005 and secured a berth in the 2010 Citi BCS National Championship game. The Longhorns will square off against No.1 Alabama on Jan. 7, 2010 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

In the final season of his Longhorn career, McCoy completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 3,512 yards and 27 touchdowns. The quarterback from Tuscola, Texas holds 46 school records including total offense (14,815), yards (13,244) and touchdowns (112). Additionally, McCoy’s 45-7 career record is the most victories by a starting quarterback in NCAA history.

McCoy is the third O’Brien Winner from the University of Texas preceded by Earl Campbell, the inaugural winner of the O’Brien Memorial Trophy (1977), and Vince Young (2005).

The Davey O’Brien National Selection Committee, an elite group of journalists, broadcasters, commentators and former winners, selected The O’Brien Winner, with the Fan Vote accounting for 5 % of the total vote. The Selection Committee is asked to evaluate each candidate on the criteria of his quarterback skills and athletic ability, academics, his reputation as a team player, character, leadership and sportsmanship. For a complete listing of the Selection Committee, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

National College Football Awards Association
The O’Brien is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official Web site, www.NCFAA.org. 

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien.

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This is the final release in a series of three highlighting the 2009 O’Brien Finalists

FORT WORTH, Texas (Dec. 3, 2009) – Tim Tebow, of the University of Florida, is one of three Finalists for the 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^® (The O’Brien) announced on Nov. 23. Tebow, a senior quarterback from Jacksonville, Fla., is competing against Houston’s Case Keenum and Texas’ Colt McCoy for The O’Brien, honoring the nation’s best college quarterback.

Florida fans are encouraged to continue to show their support for Tebow by visiting www.VoteOBrien.org and voting as often as once daily. Fan voting will continue until noon on Dec. 6 and will contribute 5% of the total vote.

Tebow, the 2007 O’Brien Winner, led the undefeated No. 1 Gators to their 22nd straight win and first 12-0 regular season record last Saturday against Florida State, when he accounted for five touchdowns in UF’s 37-10 victory. The dual-threat quarterback is the Southeastern Conference (SEC) all-time leader in total offense with 11,389 all-purpose yards and holds the SEC records for rushing touchdowns (56) and rushing yards by a quarterback (2,833).

During the 2007 season, Tebow became the first quarterback in NCAA history to rush and pass for at least 20 touchdowns. Over his four-year career as the Gators’ signal caller, he has passed for 8,556 yards and 84 touchdowns and has rushed for 2,833 yards and 56 touchdowns. He is the only Gator quarterback to have rushed for 100 yards in five games.

Following in the footsteps of his sports hero Danny Wuerffel, former Florida quarterback and two-time O’Brien Winner, Tebow leads the Gators to the SEC Championship, where they will square off against Alabama for the second year in a row.

“Tim is one of the best leaders that I’ve ever had the opportunity of being around,” said Florida head coach Urban Meyer. “He not only inspires his teammates on the field, but he encourages them to be better men through his words and actions off the field.”

Tebow has received numerous notable awards and honors over the past four years. Among those include Offensive MVP of the 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship, 2008 Offensive Player of the Year by both the SEC and The Associated Press (AP), Wuerffel Trophy winner (2008), Manning Award winner (2008), Maxwell Award winner (2008), and 2007 first-team AP All-American. In 2007, he became the first sophomore quarterback ever to win The O’Brien, and also took home the Heisman Trophy, Sullivan and Maxwell Awards.

Graduating in December with a degree in Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Tebow, was named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2008 and is a three-time, first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American. As a member of the 2009 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Tebow hopes to leave behind another legacy, this one off the field. The senior takes annual mission trips to the Philippines with his family and serves as an ambassador for the UF’s Goodwill Gators volunteering and speaking at local schools, prisons, hospitals and community events. His lifelong dedication and commitment to his faith and charity work will continue after his football career.

Tebow, along with Keenum and McCoy, will be present in Orlando, Fla., for the announcement of the 2009 Winner during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10 on ESPN. The O’Brien recipient will be honored Feb. 15, 2010, at the 33rd Annual O’Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien.

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This is the second release in a series of three highlighting the 2009 O’Brien Finalists

FORT WORTH, Texas (Dec. 2, 2009) – Colt McCoy, of the University of Texas, is one of three Finalists for the 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^® (The O’Brien) announced on Nov. 23. McCoy, the senior quarterback from Tuscola, Texas, is competing against Houston’s Case Keenum and Florida’s Tim Tebow for The O’Brien, honoring the nation’s best college quarterback.

Longhorn fans are encouraged to continue to show their support for McCoy by visiting www.VoteOBrien.org and voting as often as once daily. Fan voting will continue until noon on Dec. 6 and will contribute 5% of the total vote.

McCoy directed the No. 3 Texas Longhorns to their first 12-0 regular season record in school history after their Thanksgiving Day victory over rival Texas A&M where he ran for a career high of 175 yards and passed for 304 yards. Keeping his dream of leading the Longhorns to a national championship alive, McCoy will lead the undefeated Longhorns to the Big 12 Championship in their first appearance since 2005.

“Colt is a terrific football player, person and the ultimate student-athlete,” said Texas head coach Mack Brown. “As a football player, he works extremely hard to prepare himself, sets a great example for everyone on the team and is a guy that has made so many big plays and holds pretty much every record a quarterback can have here.”

The 2008 O’Brien Finalist finished his regular season holding 46 school records. McCoy’s 13,060 yards, 112 touchdowns, 70.6 completion percentage and 156.7 passer rating rank first on UT’s all-time list. He is also the first Longhorn to pass for more than 10,000 yards.

Coach Brown added that from day one, Colt’s ultimate focus has been doing whatever he needed to do to win. During his tenure as the Longhorns’ quarterback, McCoy has amassed a career record of 44-7, setting the NCAA record for career wins by a starting quarterback. He is also the only quarterback in NCAA history to lead his team to four 10-win seasons.

Throughout his prolific career at Texas, McCoy has received countless honors and accolades, including The Sporting News National Freshman of the Year (2006), first-team All-American honors (2008), Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year (2008), The Sporting News Co-Player of the Year (2008), Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year by The Associated Press (2008) and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year by the league’s coaches (2009).

The five-time member of the UT’s Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and three-time first-team Academic Big 12 member will graduate in December with a degree in Sports Management. When not clashing on the gridiron, McCoy can be found visiting patients at the Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin, mentoring children at the Boys and Girls Club, inspiring students through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes or in Peru doing mission work. After graduation, McCoy hopes to devote more time to mission work.

McCoy, along with Keenum and Tebow, will be present in Orlando, Fla. for the announcement of the 2009 Winner during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10 on ESPN. The O’Brien recipient will be honored Feb. 15, 2010, at the 33rd Annual O’Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien.

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This is the first release in a series of three highlighting the 2009 O’Brien Finalists

FORT WORTH, Texas (Dec. 1, 2009) – Case Keenum, junior quarterback from the University of Houston, is one of three Finalists for the 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^® (The O’Brien) announced on Nov. 23. Keenum is competing against Texas’ Colt McCoy and Florida’s Tim Tebow for The O’Brien, honoring the nation’s best college quarterback.

Cougar fans are encouraged to continue to show their support for Keenum by visiting www.VoteOBrien.org and voting as often as once daily. Fan voting will continue until noon on Dec. 6 and will contribute 5% of the total vote.

Competing as a ranked team for the first time since 1991, Keenum has directed the No. 21 Cougars to a prolific 10-2 season and clinched the Conference USA (C-USA) West division. The signal caller is one of only three Cougar quarterbacks to have thrown for more than 500 yards three times in a single season joining the ranks of former Houston quarterbacks, David Klinger and Andre Ware, 1989 O’Brien Winner. Keenum leads C-USA in passing efficiency and the nation in total offense with 4,922 passing yards, averaging 420.17 yards per game. He has also set new school records for career completions (996) and touchdown passes (96) while logging 12,201 passing yards as well as 116 career touchdowns.

“I think on paper from a statistical standpoint there is no doubt he deserves to be considered for this prestigious award,” said Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin. “Throw in the intangibles of what he accomplishes both on and off the field, and it further shows what a deserving candidate he is.”

Keenum has received several honors including The O’Brien Quarterback of the Week on Sept. 28 for his performance in the Cougars’ 29-28 come from behind victory over Texas Tech. Other honors include being named C-USA Freshman of the Year (2007), C-USA Offensive Player of the Year (2008), Freshman All-American Honorable Mention by both collegefootballnews.com and The Sporting News in 2007 and numerous other accolades.

Originally from Abilene, Texas, Keenum passed for 6,783 yards and 48 touchdowns during his career at Wylie High School. He was a member of the All-Big Country Super Team, Second-Team All-State in the 3A ranks and named Offensive MVP and District MVP while taking the Bulldogs to the state quarterfinals his senior year.

Keenum, a Kinesiology-Sports Administration major with a minor in Business Administration, is expected to graduate in the summer of 2010. He is a three-time member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll, made the Dean’s List in spring 2007 and was named to the C-USA All-Academic Team in 2008.

Off the field Keenum spends his time visiting children at the Texas Children’s Hospital, mentoring high school boys through Fellowship of Christian Athletes and volunteering at the Star of Hope Mission in Houston. After graduation, Keenum, who cites Michael Jordan as his sports hero, hopes to put his leadership skills and quarterback abilities to work as a football coach. 

Keenum, along with McCoy and Tebow, will be present in Orlando, Fla. for the announcement of the 2009 O’Brien Winner during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10 on ESPN. The O’Brien recipient will be honored Feb. 15, 2010, at the 33rd Annual O’Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien.

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