UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Sophomore running back Saquon Barkley is among the 158 players named to the Rotary Lombardi Award for players who demonstrate outstanding performance and skill in offensive or defensive positions and best exemplify the discipline, virtue and wisdom that defined Vincent Lombardi’s exceptional brand of leadership.
(Photo of Saquon Barkley by Paul Burdick. Check out more of Burdick’s work here)
Former Nittany Lion Carl Nassib won the award in 2015 and Penn Stater Bruce Clark claimed the honor in 1978.
Barkley has also been named to the Maxwell Award (National Player of the Year) and Doak Walker Award (nation’s top running back) watch lists. He was also named to the Big Ten preseason honors list,
The starting list of 158 candidates are players who demonstrate outstanding performance and skill in offensive or defensive positions and best exemplify the discipline, virtue and wisdom that defined Vincent Lombardi’s exceptional brand of leadership. The players gained a position on the preliminary watch list by earning All-American honors, being named to their respective all-conference teams, or by receiving 2016 pre-season honors.
Barkley is coming off of one of the most prolific seasons by a freshman running back in Penn State history. He broke the Penn State freshman (true or redshirt) record with 1,076 yards, surpassing the mark set by D.J. Dozier (1,002) in 1983. Barkley’s 1,076 yards place him 16th on Penn State’s season rushing chart and 40th in program history in career rushing yards. Barkley scored seven rushing touchdowns (eight overall) to tie Dozier’s record for rushing scores by a freshman and had five 100-yard rushing games to equal Dozier’s rookie mark.
For his efforts, Barkley was named All-Big Ten second team, Freshman All-America by Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Sporting News and USA Today, ECAC Rookie of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the Big Ten Network. He finished 34th in FBS and third in the Big Ten with 97.8 rushing yards per game, which was skewed by having just one career in the season opener versus Temple and missing nearly three quarters in the San Diego State game. Barkley also ranked 34th in FBS and fourth in the Big Ten in yards per carry (5.9) and was second among true freshmen running backs.
Barkley tallied 194 rushing yards against the then-No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, becoming just the second back to rush for more than 175 yards at Ohio State since 2000, joining Indiana’s Tevin Coleman (228; 2014). With his performances against Buffalo (115 yds.) and Rutgers (195 yds.), Barkley became the first Penn State player to have back-to-back games with a 100-yard rushing quarter since Larry Johnson in 2002 (Indiana and Michigan State).
The Rotary Lombardi Award began in 1970 by the Rotary Club of Houston to honor NFL coach Vince Lombardi and to recognize outstanding college football lineman. The award began as recognition to only interior line positions that Vince Lombardi played while an undergraduate at Fordham University (offensive and defensive guard), and later expanded to include linebackers and tight ends, with the addition of including non-performance values: leadership, courage, desire, respect for authority, and discipline.
The 47th Annual Rotary Lombardi Award continues the evolvement of the Lombardi legacy by now expanding the eligibility of the award to all player positions that are outstanding performers and exhibit great leadership attributes. Following the preliminary watch list, a nomination period will open to the internal selection committee to add additional players who meet the skill and leadership standards set forth for the Rotary Lombardi Award.
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