udchuck
December 12th, 2010, 10:54 PM
2010 DAYTON FOOTBALL AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The Flyer football banquet celebrates the team and seeason above all, but Steve Valentino received a well-deserved standing ovation from those in attendance when he was named MVP.
The University of Dayton honored the 2010 Flyer football team today at its annual Football Awards Banquet. The banquet, presented by the UD Flyers Club, was at the Kennedy Union Ballroom on campus. The banquet was the final event of another championship Flyer football season.
Dayton finished 10-1 overall and 8-0 in the Pioneer Football League this season, tying Jacksonville for first place in the PFL. It was UD's 11th PFL championship (including ties) in the 18-year history of the PFL. The rest of the league has 13 titles combined.
UD also finished the season nationally ranked in the top 25 of the Football Championship Subdivision. The Flyers were ranked 23rd by the Sports Network and 25th in the AFCA Coaches Poll. Since moving to Division I in 1992, UD has only been previously nationally ranked in 1996 and 1997. The Sports Network poll rated the Flyers as the No. 24 team at the conclusion of the 1996 season and No. 23 after the 1997 season.
This was also the 24th time in school history UD has had at least nine wins in a season.
Senior quarterback Steve Valentino (Solon, OH) was named the recipient of the White-Allen Most Valuable Player Trophy for the second straight season. A repeat selection for the PFL Offensive Player of the Year Award, Valentino finished his career 19-2 as a starting quarterback, and 15-1 in league play.
Just the fifth two-time MVP in UD football history, Valentino is also a three time All-PFL First Team selection, with two selections as a quarterback and one as a wide receiver. He is the only player in PFL history to receive first team honors at two different positions.
He finished the regular season ranked 14th in FCS football averaging 266.4 total offensive yards per game. The Solon, Ohio native is UD’s top rusher and ranked seventh among FCS quarterbacks with 64.7 rushing yards per game. Valentino also ranked fourth in the PFL in passing yards (201.6 ypg) and pass efficiency rating (135.0).
In not quite two years as a starting QB, Steve Valentino finished second at UD in career pass completions (341), career passing yardage (4,630 yards) and career total offense (6,218). Valentino was also sixth in all-purpose yardage at UD with 3,125 yards.
The White Allen Most Valuable Player Trophy is sponsored by Tim White and White Allen Auto Group, Inc. The award is selected by members of the team. The White Allen Trophy has been awarded annually since 1953. White Allen now sponsors the MVP award for UD's men's and women's basketball, football and volleyball teams.
Another repeat winner, James Vercammen (Bloomfield Hills, MI), was named the recipient of the Chief Toscani Hitter Award for the second straight year. Playing the hybrid linebacker/safety position known as "Flyer" in the Dayton defensive scheme, Vercammen was has already been named a First Team AFCA All-American. He was the top tackler on the team that is second in FCS football in rushing defense.
Vercammen had 100 tackles (57 solo), 13.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, three fumbles forced, two pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery in 2010. UD allowed just 78.4 yards a game rushing. In the last two seasons, Vercammen had 234 stops, including 118 solo tackles.
Senior offensive guard Tyler Friedrich (Powell, OH) was the third repeat winner this season. He was presented the Stan Kurdziel Memorial Trophy for the second time. The Kurdziel Trophy goes to the team's top lineman. In his two seasons as a starter, Friedrich has been was named First Team All-Pioneer Football League twice. He is a three-time member of the PFL Academic Honor Roll.
Senior linebacker Joe Ries (Cincinnati, OH) was this season’s winner of the A.J. Cohen Flyer of the Year Award. It is presented in memory of Cohen, a former Flyer wide receiver who left his mark on the program with his everyday positive attitude and team-first approach. Ries, a fifth-year senior who shared team captain duties this season with Valentino and Friedrich, could have been a candidate for this award from the moment he came to UD.
The Cincinnati St. Xavier product was a three-year starter and a three-time First Team All-PFL selection. This year, Ries was third on the team in tackles (65) and a First Team ESPN Academic All-District selection.
Another fifth-year player, team captain, senior wide receiver Justin Watkins (Englewood, OH) was this year’s winner of the Emil Karas Memorial Award. The Karas Award is for the most inspirational leadership as chosen by his teammates. After a solid first year, Watkins suffered a knee injury at the end of that season. Despite that, Watkins was able to rehab in time to be a three-year starter and eventually became UD’s all-time receiving yardage leader with 2,274 yards. He was also second in career receptions with 131.
The Sheriff "Beno" Keiter Award, which goes to the senior for the most outstanding contribution to the program over his college career, went to safety A.J. Kaltenbach (New Albany, OH). Kaltenbach was named a First Team ESPN Academic All-American this season, his first as a starter. He moved to safety during the preseason and finished the year second in solo tackles (36) and interception (2).
This season's Most Improved Player Award went to redshirt sophomore cornerback Matt Pfleger (Knoxville, TN). A wide receiver his first two seasons in the program, Pfleger was moved to corner and led the team in interceptions (4) and pass breakups (10). Both marks were twice as many as anyone else on the team. He was also third in solo tackles (35). He finished the year tied for first in the PFL in passes defended per game (1.27).
Redshirt sophomore Matt Brockberg (Troy, MI) was the winner of the John L. Macbeth Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award. A Pre-Med major at UD, Brockberg carries a 3.83 cumulative GPA. The Macbeth Award goes annual to the UD football player who has the highest cumulative grade point average over at least four semesters.
Freshman cornerback Gary Hunter (Detroit, MI) won the ROTC Cannonball Award, which goes to the team's top newcomer. Hunter made his name as a kick returner, becoming the first freshman in school history to return a kickoff for a touchdown. Hunter led the PFL in kick returns (28.2 yards per return) and was third nationally among FCS freshmen.
Senior offensive tackle Dan Prindle had already been named the 2010 recipient of the Lt. Andy Zulli Award at halftime of UD's final home game against Drake. The award, one of the most prestigious in the program, is for sportsmanship, character, and leadership.
Freshman wide receiver Branden Johnson (Lexington, KY) was named the Scout Team Offensive Player of the Year. Freshman defensive end Pat Dowd (Cleveland, OH) was awarded the Scout Team Defensive Player of the Year award.
Along with honoring the individual award winners and the players receiving letters, UD also acknowledged the players who received conference and national awards.
UD placed 11 players on the All-PFL teams which were determined by a vote of the PFL's head coaches. Six were named to the first team. Valentino, Ries, Friedrich, Vercammen, and defensive ends Brandon Wingeier (Newark, OH) and Devon Langhorst (Sidney, OH) were all named to the first team.
UD players on the All-PFL Second Team were Watkins and offensive tackle Eric Studt (Bethel Park, PA). Wide receiver Anthony Papp (Naperville, IL), offensive guard Dan Fornek (Naperville, IL) and placekicker Nick Glavin (Kettering, OH) were all named Honorable Mention All-PFL.
Head coach Rick Chamberlin was voted the PFL Coach of the Year.
Wingeier was also named an ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-American for the third straight year. The senior Mechanical Engineering major is the first UD student-athlete to be named First Team Academic All-America three times. Kaltenbach, a Business Marketing major, joined Wingeier on the first team, bringing the number of Academic All-Americans the Dayton football program has produced since the 2000 season to 21. That's the most at any level of college football.
In the history of the Academic All-America program, UD football has had 51 Academic All-Americans. Among schools currently playing Division I football, only Nebraska (98), Penn State (59) and Notre Dame (54) have had more. UD has had at least one football player named an Academic All-American in 24 of the last 26 years. In all sports, Dayton has had at least one Academic All-American for 27 straight years.
UD placed four Flyer football players on the 2010 University Division ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV Team, the most of any team in the country for the third straight year. Included in Dayton's first team selections were Wingeier, Kaltenbach, Ries and Langhorst.
Wingeier was also a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's Campbell Trophy, which is sometimes called the "Academic Heisman." He was the third Flyer named a semifinalist in the last four years.
2010 UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON FOOTBALL AWARD WINNERS
White-Allen Most Valuable Player Steve Valentino
Chief Toscani Hitter James Vercammen
Sheriff "Beno" Keiter Award A.J. Kaltenbach
Emil Karas Inspirational Leadership Justin Watkins
Stan Kurdziel Outstanding Lineman Tyler Friedrich
A.J. Cohen Flyer of the Year Joe Ries
John L. Macbeth Scholar-Athlete Matt Brockberg
Most Improved Player Matt Pfleger
Lt. Andy Zulli Memorial Trophy Dan Prindle
ROTC Cannonball Award Gary Hunter
Scout Team Offensive Player of the Year Branden Johnson
Scout Team Defensive Player of the Year Pat Dowd
The Flyer football banquet celebrates the team and seeason above all, but Steve Valentino received a well-deserved standing ovation from those in attendance when he was named MVP.
The University of Dayton honored the 2010 Flyer football team today at its annual Football Awards Banquet. The banquet, presented by the UD Flyers Club, was at the Kennedy Union Ballroom on campus. The banquet was the final event of another championship Flyer football season.
Dayton finished 10-1 overall and 8-0 in the Pioneer Football League this season, tying Jacksonville for first place in the PFL. It was UD's 11th PFL championship (including ties) in the 18-year history of the PFL. The rest of the league has 13 titles combined.
UD also finished the season nationally ranked in the top 25 of the Football Championship Subdivision. The Flyers were ranked 23rd by the Sports Network and 25th in the AFCA Coaches Poll. Since moving to Division I in 1992, UD has only been previously nationally ranked in 1996 and 1997. The Sports Network poll rated the Flyers as the No. 24 team at the conclusion of the 1996 season and No. 23 after the 1997 season.
This was also the 24th time in school history UD has had at least nine wins in a season.
Senior quarterback Steve Valentino (Solon, OH) was named the recipient of the White-Allen Most Valuable Player Trophy for the second straight season. A repeat selection for the PFL Offensive Player of the Year Award, Valentino finished his career 19-2 as a starting quarterback, and 15-1 in league play.
Just the fifth two-time MVP in UD football history, Valentino is also a three time All-PFL First Team selection, with two selections as a quarterback and one as a wide receiver. He is the only player in PFL history to receive first team honors at two different positions.
He finished the regular season ranked 14th in FCS football averaging 266.4 total offensive yards per game. The Solon, Ohio native is UD’s top rusher and ranked seventh among FCS quarterbacks with 64.7 rushing yards per game. Valentino also ranked fourth in the PFL in passing yards (201.6 ypg) and pass efficiency rating (135.0).
In not quite two years as a starting QB, Steve Valentino finished second at UD in career pass completions (341), career passing yardage (4,630 yards) and career total offense (6,218). Valentino was also sixth in all-purpose yardage at UD with 3,125 yards.
The White Allen Most Valuable Player Trophy is sponsored by Tim White and White Allen Auto Group, Inc. The award is selected by members of the team. The White Allen Trophy has been awarded annually since 1953. White Allen now sponsors the MVP award for UD's men's and women's basketball, football and volleyball teams.
Another repeat winner, James Vercammen (Bloomfield Hills, MI), was named the recipient of the Chief Toscani Hitter Award for the second straight year. Playing the hybrid linebacker/safety position known as "Flyer" in the Dayton defensive scheme, Vercammen was has already been named a First Team AFCA All-American. He was the top tackler on the team that is second in FCS football in rushing defense.
Vercammen had 100 tackles (57 solo), 13.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, three fumbles forced, two pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery in 2010. UD allowed just 78.4 yards a game rushing. In the last two seasons, Vercammen had 234 stops, including 118 solo tackles.
Senior offensive guard Tyler Friedrich (Powell, OH) was the third repeat winner this season. He was presented the Stan Kurdziel Memorial Trophy for the second time. The Kurdziel Trophy goes to the team's top lineman. In his two seasons as a starter, Friedrich has been was named First Team All-Pioneer Football League twice. He is a three-time member of the PFL Academic Honor Roll.
Senior linebacker Joe Ries (Cincinnati, OH) was this season’s winner of the A.J. Cohen Flyer of the Year Award. It is presented in memory of Cohen, a former Flyer wide receiver who left his mark on the program with his everyday positive attitude and team-first approach. Ries, a fifth-year senior who shared team captain duties this season with Valentino and Friedrich, could have been a candidate for this award from the moment he came to UD.
The Cincinnati St. Xavier product was a three-year starter and a three-time First Team All-PFL selection. This year, Ries was third on the team in tackles (65) and a First Team ESPN Academic All-District selection.
Another fifth-year player, team captain, senior wide receiver Justin Watkins (Englewood, OH) was this year’s winner of the Emil Karas Memorial Award. The Karas Award is for the most inspirational leadership as chosen by his teammates. After a solid first year, Watkins suffered a knee injury at the end of that season. Despite that, Watkins was able to rehab in time to be a three-year starter and eventually became UD’s all-time receiving yardage leader with 2,274 yards. He was also second in career receptions with 131.
The Sheriff "Beno" Keiter Award, which goes to the senior for the most outstanding contribution to the program over his college career, went to safety A.J. Kaltenbach (New Albany, OH). Kaltenbach was named a First Team ESPN Academic All-American this season, his first as a starter. He moved to safety during the preseason and finished the year second in solo tackles (36) and interception (2).
This season's Most Improved Player Award went to redshirt sophomore cornerback Matt Pfleger (Knoxville, TN). A wide receiver his first two seasons in the program, Pfleger was moved to corner and led the team in interceptions (4) and pass breakups (10). Both marks were twice as many as anyone else on the team. He was also third in solo tackles (35). He finished the year tied for first in the PFL in passes defended per game (1.27).
Redshirt sophomore Matt Brockberg (Troy, MI) was the winner of the John L. Macbeth Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award. A Pre-Med major at UD, Brockberg carries a 3.83 cumulative GPA. The Macbeth Award goes annual to the UD football player who has the highest cumulative grade point average over at least four semesters.
Freshman cornerback Gary Hunter (Detroit, MI) won the ROTC Cannonball Award, which goes to the team's top newcomer. Hunter made his name as a kick returner, becoming the first freshman in school history to return a kickoff for a touchdown. Hunter led the PFL in kick returns (28.2 yards per return) and was third nationally among FCS freshmen.
Senior offensive tackle Dan Prindle had already been named the 2010 recipient of the Lt. Andy Zulli Award at halftime of UD's final home game against Drake. The award, one of the most prestigious in the program, is for sportsmanship, character, and leadership.
Freshman wide receiver Branden Johnson (Lexington, KY) was named the Scout Team Offensive Player of the Year. Freshman defensive end Pat Dowd (Cleveland, OH) was awarded the Scout Team Defensive Player of the Year award.
Along with honoring the individual award winners and the players receiving letters, UD also acknowledged the players who received conference and national awards.
UD placed 11 players on the All-PFL teams which were determined by a vote of the PFL's head coaches. Six were named to the first team. Valentino, Ries, Friedrich, Vercammen, and defensive ends Brandon Wingeier (Newark, OH) and Devon Langhorst (Sidney, OH) were all named to the first team.
UD players on the All-PFL Second Team were Watkins and offensive tackle Eric Studt (Bethel Park, PA). Wide receiver Anthony Papp (Naperville, IL), offensive guard Dan Fornek (Naperville, IL) and placekicker Nick Glavin (Kettering, OH) were all named Honorable Mention All-PFL.
Head coach Rick Chamberlin was voted the PFL Coach of the Year.
Wingeier was also named an ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-American for the third straight year. The senior Mechanical Engineering major is the first UD student-athlete to be named First Team Academic All-America three times. Kaltenbach, a Business Marketing major, joined Wingeier on the first team, bringing the number of Academic All-Americans the Dayton football program has produced since the 2000 season to 21. That's the most at any level of college football.
In the history of the Academic All-America program, UD football has had 51 Academic All-Americans. Among schools currently playing Division I football, only Nebraska (98), Penn State (59) and Notre Dame (54) have had more. UD has had at least one football player named an Academic All-American in 24 of the last 26 years. In all sports, Dayton has had at least one Academic All-American for 27 straight years.
UD placed four Flyer football players on the 2010 University Division ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV Team, the most of any team in the country for the third straight year. Included in Dayton's first team selections were Wingeier, Kaltenbach, Ries and Langhorst.
Wingeier was also a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's Campbell Trophy, which is sometimes called the "Academic Heisman." He was the third Flyer named a semifinalist in the last four years.
2010 UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON FOOTBALL AWARD WINNERS
White-Allen Most Valuable Player Steve Valentino
Chief Toscani Hitter James Vercammen
Sheriff "Beno" Keiter Award A.J. Kaltenbach
Emil Karas Inspirational Leadership Justin Watkins
Stan Kurdziel Outstanding Lineman Tyler Friedrich
A.J. Cohen Flyer of the Year Joe Ries
John L. Macbeth Scholar-Athlete Matt Brockberg
Most Improved Player Matt Pfleger
Lt. Andy Zulli Memorial Trophy Dan Prindle
ROTC Cannonball Award Gary Hunter
Scout Team Offensive Player of the Year Branden Johnson
Scout Team Defensive Player of the Year Pat Dowd