Feb. 10, 2009

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football program held its annual Senior Awards Banquet Tuesday night at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover. The banquet honored the seniors on the 2008 football squad.

Each of Samford's 13 seniors was given a framed jersey at the banquet. The 13 seniors on the 2008 team are: Adrian Bradley, Mark Brown, Nathan Carroll, Kyle Morton, Brent Nall, Marcus Rice, Rodney Shepherd, Kyle Skiera, Curt Smith, Quinton Smith, Tommy Smith, Mitchell Waters and Dante Williams.

The team's annual awards were also presented at the banquet. The Bobby Bowden Award, which goes to a player who shows character, work ethic and leadership, was given to Waters. Waters was one of the leaders of the offensive line that helped produce Samford's all-time leading single-season rusher this season.

The Kenny Morgan Leadership Award was given to Nall. Nall, a defensive lineman for the Bulldogs, tallied 40 tackles, including six tackles for a loss and two and a half sacks in 2008.

The Dr. Larry Lemak Scholastic Award, which is given to the player with the highest grade-point average on the team, was given to offensive lineman Cory Smith.

The Team Award, which is given to a player who exemplifies unselfish play, was given to Morton. In 2008, Morton had 37 tackles and two interceptions.

The Offensive Most Valuable Player Award was given to running back Chris Evans. Evans rushed for a Samford record 1,284 yards as a sophomore in 2008. He is the first player in Samford history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.

The Defensive Most Valuable Player Award went to Shepherd. In his final season in a Samford uniform, Shepherd had 83 tackles, including a team-high 10 tackles for a loss and six sacks. Shepherd was also honored as the winner of the Charles Williams Memorial Jersey.

Punter Bob Hooper was named the team's Special Teams MVP. Hooper averaged 39.9 yards on 49 punts this season. He placed 22 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line, and he had five punts of 50 yards or more.

The players who were named to the Southern Conference's Coaches All-Conference team were also honored. The second team honorees were Jon Weber, Andy Davis and Bryce Smith. Evans was also honored as a first team All-Conference member. Quarterback Dustin Taliaferro was honored as the league's Freshman of the Year.

Three Samford players were honored as members of the SoCon's All-Academic team. Ty Levie, Richie Fordham and Waters were named to the All-Academic team.

Prior to the senior presentations, the team's four captains were honored. Brown, Williams, Shepherd and Waters were named the team's captains.

The 2008 Samford football team finished with a 6-5 record, marking the program's first winning season since 2003. Despite being picked last in all of the preseason Southern Conference polls, Samford finished fourth in the nine-team league with a 4-4 conference record.

Samford will begin spring practice on Sunday, Feb. 15. The first practice is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Seibert Stadium.