Walter Camp Foundation, Inc.

Colt McCoy (Texas) Selected 2008 Walter Camp Player of the Year

New Haven, CT – University of Texas junior quarterback Colt McCoy (Tuscola, TX) has been selected as the 2008 Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year. Foundation President John Barbarotta made the announcement tonight during ESPN’s 6 p.m. edition of SportsCenter.

Click here to watch the trophy presentation - http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3763472

The 42nd recipient of the Walter Camp Player of the Year award, McCoy is the second Texas player (Ricky Williams, 1998) to capture the honor. The Walter Camp Player of the Year is voted on by the nation’s 119 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors.

Other finalists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year award included quarterbacks Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), Graham Harrell (Texas Tech) and Tim Tebow (Florida) along with wide receiver Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech).

“We are extremely pleased with the selection of Colt McCoy as our Player of the Year,” Barbarotta said. “Colt’s leadership and performance for the Longhorns’ offense – whether it was passing the ball or running it - has been most impressive and extremely worthy of this prestigious honor.”

The 6-foot 3, 210-pound McCoy is a Walter Camp First Team All-America selection after leading a Longhorn offense that ranks sixth in the country in scoring (43.9 points per game). Texas (11-1), ranked third in the final BCS standings, will play in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 5, 2009, against Ohio State (10-2).

One of only three quarterbacks nationally that has rushed for at least 500 yards and thrown for more than 3,000 yards this season, McCoy leads the nation in passing efficiency (179.2 QB rating) and completion percentage (77.6%). He has completed 291-of-375 passes for 3,445 yards and 32 touchdowns and also leads the Longhorns in rushing with 576 yards and has scored 10 touchdowns on the ground.

McCoy was at his best in the Longhorns’ four games against top 25 opponents (Texas was 3-1) this season. He completed 115-of-146 passes for 1,299 yards (324.8 yards per game) and 11 touchdowns and added 111 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. McCoy was named the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week on October 18 after completing 90.6 percent (29-of-32) of his passes for 337 yards and two touchdowns in a 56-31 victory over then-11th-ranked Missouri. He also completed a school-record 17 straight passes during the game.

For his career, McCoy holds Texas school records for victories (31), passing yards (9,318), passing touchdowns (83), total offense (10,556), completions (784), passing attempts (1,117), (completion percentage (70.2%) and passing efficiency (159.1 rating).

McCoy and the members of the Members of the 2008 Walter Camp All-America team will be honored at the organization’s national awards banquet on January 17, 2009 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven. In addition, the Foundation will honor former collegiate and NFL stars – Tim Brown (Notre Dame), Len Dawson (Purdue) and Morten Andersen (Michigan State) – with major awards. Please call (203) 288-CAMP for tickets ($275.00).

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.

Walter Camp Player of the Year Recipients (1967-2008)

2008 – Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

2007 – Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas

2006 – Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State

2005 – Reggie Bush, RB, University of Southern California

2004 – Matt Leinart, QB, University of Southern California

2003 – Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh

2002 – Larry Johnson, RB, Penn State

2001 – Eric Crouch, QB, Nebraska

2000 – Josh Heupel, QB, Oklahoma

1999 – Ron Dayne, RB, Wisconsin

1998 – Ricky Williams, RB, Texas

1997 – Charles Woodson, DB, Michigan

1996 – Danny Wuerffel, QB, Florida

1995 – Eddie George, RB, Ohio State

1994 – Rashaan Salaam, RB, Colorado

1993 – Charlie Ward, QB, Florida State

1992 – Gino Torretta, QB, Miami

1991 – Desmond Howard, WR, Michigan

1990 – Raghib Ismail, WR, Notre Dame

1989 - Anthony Thompson, RB, Indiana

1988 – Barry Sanders, RB, Oklahoma State

1987 – Tim Brown, WR, Notre Dame

1986 – Vinny Testaverde, QB, Miami

1985 – Bo Jackson, RB, Auburn

1984 – Doug Flutie, QB, Boston College

1983 – Mike Rozier, RB, Nebraska

1982 – Herschel Walker, RB, Georgia

1981 – Marcus Allen, RB, University of Southern California

1980 – Hugh Green, DE, Pittsburgh

1979 – Charles White, RB, University of Southern California

1978 – Billy Sims, RB, Oklahoma

1977 – Ken MacAfee, TE, Notre Dame

1976 – Tony Dorsett, RB, Pittsburgh

1975 – Archie Griffin, RB, Ohio State

1974 – Archie Griffin, RB, Ohio State

1973 – John Cappelletti, RB, Penn State

1972 – Johnny Rodgers, WR, Nebraska

1971 – Pat Sullivan, QB, Auburn

1970 – Jim Plunkett, QB, Stanford

1969 – Steve Owens, RB, Oklahoma

1968 – O.J. Simpson, RB, University of Southern California

1967 - O.J. Simpson, RB, University of Southern California

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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.