Walter Camp Foundation, Inc.

Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces Five Finalists for 2007 Player of the Year Award

New Haven, Conn. – The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the five finalists for its 2007 Player of the Year award. Four quarterbacks Chase Daniel (Missouri), Dennis Dixon (Oregon), Matt Ryan (Boston College) and Tim Tebow (Florida) are on the list along with running back Darren McFadden (Arkansas), a finalist for the second straight season. The 2007 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, voted on by the 119 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on the 6:00 p.m. edition of ESPN SportsCenter on Thursday, December 6. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on Saturday, January 12, 2008 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven. Tickets ($275) are available by calling (203) 288-CAMP. The finalists for the 2007 Walter Camp Player of the Year award include:

CHASE DANIEL – MISSOURI Junior, Quarterback – Has led the topranked Tigers (111) to a berth in the Big 12 championship game… The leader of an offense that averages 41.9 points a game, Daniel has passed for 3,951 yards and 8 touchdowns… Has completed 70.5 percent (349 of 495) of his passes – good for fourth in the nation… Has eight 300-yard passing efforts and threw five touchdowns in a game twice this season.

DENNIS DIXON – OREGON – Senior, Quarterback – A versatile quarterback, Dixon led the Ducks into the national spotlight before sustaining a seasonending knee injury on November 15…Threw for 2,136 yards (172 of 254) and 20 touchdowns in ten appearances… Rushed for 583 yards and nine touchdowns… Dixon passed for a seasonhigh 374 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Stanford on September 22.

DARREN McFADDEN – ARKANSAS – Junior, Running Back – A Player of the Year finalist for the second straight year, McFadden has rushed for a school record 1,725 yards to lead the Razorbacks (84)….He has scored 15 total touchdowns (14 rushing, 1 receiving) and has also passed for four scores… McFadden has rushed for at least 100 yards nine times, including a careerbest 321 versus South Carolina on November 3… Twotime Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week honoree in 2007 (November 3 and 25).

MATT RYAN – BOSTON COLLEGE – Senior, Quarterback – Ryan has led the Eagles to a 102 record and a berthin the ACC championship game… Ryan has thrown for 3,953 yards (333 of 555) and 28 touchdown passes this season…A sixtime ACC Offensive Player of the Week selection this season, Ryan has eight 300-yard passing efforts, including four 400-yard efforts…. He threw for a seasonhigh 435 yards in a win at Georgia Tech on September 15.

TIM TEBOW – FLORIDA Sophomore, Quarterback – Tebow accounted for 51 Gator touchdowns (29 passing, 22 rushing) this season… Has passed for 3,132 yards (217 of 317) and 29 touchdowns… Tebow has rushed for 838 yards and 22 touchdowns… He scored a careerhigh five rushing touchdowns and passed for two more in a win at South Carolina on November 10… Tebow was a twotime recipient of the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week honor in 2007 (September 16 and November 10).

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Walter Camp, "The Father of American football," first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp — a former Yale University athlete and football coach — is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation — a New Haven based all volunteer group — was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All America team.