North Carolina State University Athletics
Harris Named to Rimington Watch List
5/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
May 19, 2006
Raleigh, N.C. - Senior Leroy Harris of the NC State football team has recently been named to the Rimington Trophy's 2006 Spring Watch List. The Dave Rimington Trophy today released their spring watch list of top collegiate centers for the 2006 season. This marks the second straight year Harris has appeared on the preseason watch list. This season marks the seventh year of the Rimington Trophy recognizing the most outstanding center in college football and the first as a Regular Member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA).
The spring watch list consists of thirty-nine of college football's top men in the middle and will be updated once prior to the beginning of the season. Five Sophomores, eleven Juniors and twenty-three Seniors make up the very strong field.
"With only one returning finalist from last season the competition will be wide open which will certainly make for an exciting race. Center is a very difficult position to evaluate and of course play so I wish all of the candidates and their respective teams a successful season", said Dave Rimington
Harris led the Wolfpack last season with 62 knockdown blocks, including a career-high 13 in the win over Southern Mississippi. He ranked second on the squad with 791 offensive snaps, starting all 12 games. Over his career, Harris has started all 32 games he has appeared in.
The seven year old trophy is presented by Canon, MidAmerican Energy Holdings, USA and Black & Decker. The award is hosted by the Boomer Esiason Foundation. Minnesota's Greg Eslinger, Michigan's David Baas (2004 co-winner), LSU's Ben Wilkerson (2004 co-winner), Virginia Tech's Jake Grove, Miami's Brett Romberg, Ohio State's LeCharles Bentley, and Nebraska's Dominic Raiola are past recipients. Esiason created his foundation in 1993 to support research and treatment of cystic fibrosis. Esiason and Dave Rimington were teammates on the Cincinnati Bengals from 1984-87. Rimington the award's namesake, was a consensus first team All- America center at Nebraska in 1981 and 1982 during which he became the John Outland Trophy's only double winner as the nation's premiere college interior lineman.
The winner is selected by determining the consensus All-American center pick from four existing All America Teams including:
• American Football Coaches Association • Walter Camp Foundation • Sporting News • Football Writers Association of AmericaBecause the selectors of these four All-America teams can place centers in a "mix" of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11- man first teams can often have two centers. Our policy is to count all players that play primarily the center position for their respective teams as centers, even though they maybe listed as guards or tackles on the four All American teams.
The center with the most first team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the center with most second team votes will win. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the center with most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by the Rimington Trophy committee.
The winner will be honored at the awards banquet at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, Nebraska, in January of 2007.
