Feb. 9, 2010

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford football program held its annual Senior Awards Banquet Tuesday evening at the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham.

Samford head coach Pat Sullivan welcomed everyone to begin the evening. After assistant coach Chris Brasfield delivered the invocation dinner was served while a highlight video from the 2009 season was played. After dinner the awards for the 2009 season were given.

The first award of the evening was the Bobby Bowden Award, which goes to a player who shows strong character and work ethic. Senior center Jon Weber won the Bobby Bowden Award.

Weber also won the Charles Williams Memorial Jersey. Charles Williams was a member of the Samford football program who died in a car accident on May 23, 2003. The award goes to a senior leader on the football team each season.

The Kenny Morgan Award, which goes to a player who shows strong character and work ethic, and sacrifices for the good of the team. The Kenny Morgan Award went to senior linebacker C.J. Brown.

The Gary Cooney Scholastic Award was given to senior defensive back Ty Levie. The Team Award, which is given to a player who shows unselfishness and a willingness to sacrifice for the team, was given to senior offensive lineman Paul Selmon.

The Offensive MVP award was given to junior running back Chris Evans. Evans led the Southern Conference in rushing with 1,152 yards. Evans is Samford's all-time leading rusher with 3,469 career yards. After the season, Evans was named first-team All-Conference by both the coaches and media for the second year in a row.

Junior linebacker Bryce Smith was named the Defensive MVP. Smith led the nation in solo tackles, averaging 6.7 per game. Smith was named first-team All-Conference by both the league's coaches and media.

The Special Teams MVP award went to junior punter Bob Hooper. Hooper, who was also named All-Conference by the coaches and media, punted 73 times for an average of 41.5 yards per kick. He placed 25 kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

The team's All-Conference players were then honored. Smith, Evans, Weber, Hooper and John Michael Clay all received All-Conference honors. The players named to Academic All-Conference team were also honored. Jeremy Towns, Dustin Taliaferro, Charlie Sanford, Cory Smith, Levie, Richie Fordham, Ryan Fordham and J.D. Lott were named to the Academic All-Conference team.

The Team Captain Awards were then presented. The team's four captains were Brown, Weber, Rumiko Forrester and Jonathan Lowery.

The final presentation of the evening was the senior jersey presentation. Each of the team's 13 seniors was presented with a framed jersey. The team's 13 seniors are: Wes Alexander, Ryan Anderson, Brown, Josh Fields, Ryan Fordham, Forrester, Brock Johnson, Harris Johnson, Levie, Lowery, Selmon, Taylor Strickland and Weber.

2009 SAMFORD FOOTBALL BANQUET AWARDS
Bobby Bowden Award: Jon Weber
Kenny Morgan Award: C.J. Brown
Gary Cooney Scholastic Award: Ty Levie
Team Award: Paul Selmon
Offensive MVP Award: Chris Evans
Defensive MVP Award: Bryce Smith
Special Teams MVP Award: Bob Hooper
All-Conference: Bryce Smith, Chris Evans, Jon Weber, Bob Hooper, John Michael Clay
Academic All-Conference: Jeremy Towns, Dustin Taliaferro, Charlie Sanford, Cory Smith, Ty Levie, Richie Fordham, Ryan Fordham, J.D. Lott
Team Captains: C.J. Brown, Jon Weber, Rumiko Forrester, Jonathan Lowery
Senior Jerseys: Wes Alexander, Ryan Anderson, C.J. Brown, Josh Fields, Ryan Fordham, Rumiko Forrester, Brock Johnson, Harris Johnson, Ty Levie, Jonathan Lowery, Paul Selmon, Taylor Strickland, Jon Weber.