FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: DEE CORUM- (256) 765-4595

CONTACT: JEFF HODGES - (256) 765-4595

TOP THREE NAMED FOR HARLON HILL TROPHY AS NCAA DIVISION II FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

FLORENCE, Ala. -- The voting has concluded for the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year
Award, and while the results of that voting won't be announced until December 10, three players have
received invitations to attend the Nineteenth Annual Harlon Hill Trophy Presentation Banquet for the
naming of the top player in Division II. 

Senior quarterback Drew Beard of Southeastern Oklahoma State, senior quarterback Chad Friehauf
of Colorado-Mines and senior running back Derrick Wimbush of Fort Valley State emerged as the top
three vote-getters from a field of eight national finalists in voting by the sports information directors at the 150 schools that compete in Division II football and the Division II conference sports information directors.

The announcement was made by Harlon Hill Trophy Voting Coordinator Dee Corum.  The Hill Trophy is sponsored by Coca-Cola, the City of Florence, Ala., and Trustmark Construction.  Candidates for the 2004 Hill Trophy were nominated by the sports information directors at their respective schools and those nominations were then reviewed by the Hill Regional Advisory Committees, which trimmed the list of candidates to no more than six per region.

The winner of the 2004 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be
announced at the Harlon Hill Trophy and Division II Football Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, December
10 in Florence, prior to the NCAA Division II Football Championship Game on Dec. 11. Tickets are $35 each or $280 for a table of eight and can be purchased by calling the Shoals Chamber of Commerce at (256) 764-4661.

Other finalists for the 2004 award were senior quarterback Cory Allred of Arkansas-Monticello,
senior quarterback Marc Eddy of Bentley, sophomore tailback Lee Marana of Michigan Tech, senior wide
receiver Chris Samp of Winona State, and sophomore quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger of East Stroudsburg. 

Beard, a senior from Rush Springs, Okla., who was also a finalist in 2003, became the Lone Star Conference's all-time leader in career total offense with more than 9,400 yards. He is ranked among the Division II national leaders in total offense (sixth) and passing efficiency (10th) and is the only player ranked in the Lone Star Conference top 10 in both rushing and passing. He led SOSU to an 8-2 regular-season record and into the Division II playoffs. 

Friehauf, a senior from Brush, Colorado, led the Colorado School of Mines to an 11-0 regular-season record and to a first-round playoff win over Midwestern State. He leads Division II in total offense, with 392.6 yards per game, and is second in passing efficiency with a 172.9 rating. He had a streak of 180 consecutive passes this season without an interception and completed 296 of 402 passes for 3,746 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2004. During his career, Friehauf has thrown for 9,440 yards and 81 touchdowns.  

Wimbush, a senior from Mauk, Ga., is third in the nation in rushing with a 167.3-yard average and is fifth in scoring with 12.2 points per game. He rushed for 1,840 yards on 247 carries and averaged 7.4 yards per carry. He led the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in rushing, scoring and all-purpose yards and was a five-time SIAC Offensive Player of the Week this season. He rushed for more than 100 yards in 13 consecutive
games during his career at Fort Valley State.  efficiency. Academically, he is a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete award recipient.

North Dakota State quarterback Jeff Bentrim won the initial Hill Trophy in 1986, followed by three-time winner - Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville) running back Johnny Bailey - in 1987, 1988 and 1989.  Another North Dakota State quarterback, Chris
Simdorn, claimed the 1990 award, followed by Pittsburg State receiver Ronnie West in 1991, Pittsburg State running back Ronald Moore in 1992, New Haven running back Roger Graham in 1993, Valdosta State quarterback Chris Hatcher in 1994, North Alabama linebacker Ronald McKinnon in 1995, Truman State running back Jarrett Anderson in 1996, Bloomsburg University running back Irvin Sigler in 1997, Emporia State running back Brian Shay in 1998, Northern Colorado quarterback Corte McGuffey in 1999, Valdosta State quarterback Dusty Bonner in 2000 and 2001, Grand Valley State quarterback Curt Anes in 2002 and North Alabama quarterback Will Hall in 2003.


2004 HARLON HILL TROPHY TOP 3

Drew Beard
Quarterback - SE Oklahoma State
5-10, 175, Senior, Rush Springs, Oklahoma

2004 Highlights: He became the SOSU and the LSC all-time career leader in total offense, currently with 9,424 career yards at the close of the regular season. He was named the LSC North Offensive Back of the Year for the second-straight season after earning his second-consecutive First Team honors.  Beard set the SOSU and LSC single-game total offense record with 526 yards (295 passing, 231 rushing) in 45-21 win over Eastern New Mexico. His 231 rushing yards against ENMU was fifth-most in school history and most ever by a quarterback. Tossed for a career-high 376 yards on 17-of-27 passing in 49-7 win over Southwestern Oklahoma. Had 473 yards of total offense (367 passing, 106 rushing) in 55-28 road win over then No. 9-ranked nationally Central Oklahoma. He completed 17-of-21 pass attempts (81.0%) for 293 yards and two touchdowns while adding 83 rushing yards (376 total offense) and another score in 46-6 win over Northeastern State  He passed for 295 yards and rushed for another 69 yards (364 total offense) and was responsible for three touchdowns in 41-27 win at Angelo State. He tossed for over 200 yards in nine of ten regular-season games and has had at least one touchdown pass in every game this season. He was named LSC North Offensive Player of the Week four times this season and named National Offensive Player of the Week by D2Football.com and Don Hansen�s Football Gazette after ENMU victory. Beard was also named the Football Gazette POW after the UCO victory.

2004 Key Stats: Beard has passed for 272.7 yards and rushed for 62.6 yards per game for 335.3 yards of total offense per game so far this season. He ranks second in LSC (sixth in NCAA DII) in total offense, fourth in LSC in passing and ninth in LSC in rushing. He has a pass efficiency rating of 149.0, ranking fourth in LSC and 10th in NCAA DII. He guides top scoring offense in LSC (eighth n NCAA DII) with 39.3 points per contest. He leads top total offense in LSC (20th in NCAA DII) with 440.6 total yards per game (154.0 rushing ypg, 286.6 passing ypg). SOSU as a team ranks fifth in the LSC in rushing and third in the league in passing (14th in NCAA DII). He has 22 touchdowns passes and has rushed for nine more this season. He has completed 159-of-293 passes (54.3%) for 2,727 yards. He also has 119 rushes for 626 yards. He has three punts for 36.0 yard per punt average. He is the only players to rank in Top 10 in LSC in both passing and rushing.

Career Awards and Accomplishments: Beard is the career SOSU and LSC record holder for total offense with 9,424 total yards in 38 career games. He enters the postseason ranked No. 21 on the NCAA DII all-time career total offense list. He ranks second in school history in passing with 7,085 yards and third in school history in rushing with 2,339. He became just the third player in NCAA DII history to record over 7,000 career passing yards and rush for over 2,000 yards in a career. He is averaging 261.7 total yards per game in 38 career games (including nine of which he was not a starter). He is averaging 295.4 yards per game in 29 career starts. He has a 20-9 career record as SOSU�s starting quarterback. He has a career pass efficiency rating of 144.7. He was a 2003 Harlon Hill Trophy Finalist, finishing eighth in he national voting. He is three-time team captain.  Beard is a two-time LSC North Offensive Back of the Year honoree after earning first-team All-LSC North in both 2003 and 2004. In 2003, he was named All-West Region and Offensive Player of the Year by D2Football.com, and 2003 Daktronics All-West Region Second Team. He was named 2002 second-team All-LSC North. He is an 11-time LSC North Offensive Player of the Week during his career. He led LSC in total offense in 2002 & 2003 and ranked second in the league in 2004. He is ranked among Top 10 in LSC in passing and rushing in each of the past three seasons (only player to do such in any of those years). He ranked 7th in NCAA DII in total offense (306.6 ypg) as junior in 2003. He set the school record with touchdown passes (23) as a junior in 2003 and tossed for a then career-high 358 yards against East Central. He is a member of the Scholar-Athlete Advisory Committee. He was named SOSU Male Athlete of the Year for 2002-03 and 2003-04. Team Honors and Records: SOSU posted its third-straight winning season for the first time in nearly a decade with a 7-3 mark entering the NCAA Division II postseason, ranked No. 6 in the Southwest Region. Savages posted back-to-back 7-3 records and have also landed in NCAA DII Region Top 10 in each Beard�s previous seasons as the starting quarterback. The team set a school record for scoring with 35.5 points per game in 2003 and is poised to break that mark this fall.

Academic Awards: He was a member of the 2003 All-LSC North Academic Team and the athletic director�s honor roll.

NCAA Rankings:
No. 6 Total Offense 335.3 ypg
No. 10 Passing Efficiency 149.0

Chad Friehauf
Quarterback - Colorado School of Mines
6-7, 210, Senior, Brush, Colorado

2004 Highlights: Broke CSM career records for pass attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns in the second game this season against Missouri Rolla � now stands at 728-of-1,130 for 9,440 yards and 81
touchdowns in 42 career games, including 29 consecutive starts � had a string of 180 consecutive passes without an interception � led CSM to its first win over Chadron State, 40-39, since 1993, by completing 24-of-31 for 411 yards and three touchdowns and also running for 73 yards and a score � scored on a 2-yard keeper with 35 seconds to play to cut the deficit to 39-38 and then hit Derek
Dykstra for game-winning two-point conversion � also led CSM to its first win over Nebraska-Kearney since 1939 � has accounted for three touchdowns in every game this season (passing and running), at least four touchdowns in seven games and five in three games. 2004 Stats: Finished the regular season 296-of-402 (73.6%) for 3,746 yards and 31 touchdowns and just nine interceptions � set the Division II
single season records for total offense and passing yards � ran 112 times for 573 yards and team-best 12 touchdowns � has the CSM offense ranked first in the nation in passing offense (361.1 ypg), second in total offense (531.1 ypg) and sixth in scoring (40.0 ppg) � ranks first in the nation in total offense and second in pass efficiency � has thrown for at least 300 yards in eight games, and at least 400 yards in three games � has thrown a touchdown pass in every game this season, at least two in 11 games, at least three in eight games, at least four in four games and five touchdowns one time � had at least one rushing touchdown in nine games and two rushing touchdowns in three games � has completed at least 66 percent of his passes in every game this season.  2004 Playoffs: Was 41-of-63 for career-high 467
yards and career-best five touchdowns in 52-33 win over Midwestern State in the first round � also ran 19 times for 92 yards and a touchdown � accounted for six touchdowns and 559 of CSM�s 622 total
offensive yards � his 43 completions tied the NCAA Division II Playoff record � also led team to school-record 36 first downs in the game. Career Awards and Accomplishments: 2004 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year � 2004 First Team All-RMAC � 2002 and 2003 Honorable Mention All-RMAC � is a three-time RMAC Offensive Player of the Week, five-time National Football Foundation-Colorado Chapter Pioneer Press Player of the Week, six-time Co-National Player of the Week by Don Hansen�s National Football Gazette and two-time d2football.com National Player of the Week � is 22-7 (.759) as a starter, the eighth best among Division II quarterbacks all-time with at least 25 starts � is ninth on the all-time Division II total offense list, 17th on the all-time passing yards list and
18th on the all-time passing touchdown list � career pass efficiency of 151.5 is 13th best all-time in Division II. Team Honors and Records: CSM qualified for the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time
in school-history � the team won its first RMAC title since 1958 � went 11-0 overall and 8-0 in the RMAC � have won 14 straight overall, the second best steak in Division II behind Albany State�s 17
straight � Mines has won 16-of-17 overall dating back to last season � CSM finished the regular season ranked 4th in the Southwest Region, 5th in the CollegeSportsReport.com poll, the American
Football Coaches Association Poll and Don Hansen�s National Football Gazette Top-40 Poll and 10th in the d2football.com poll � CSM has posted four straight winning seasons for the first time in program history since 1912-15. Academic Awards: Selected to the 2002 and 2003 Fall Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.

NCAA Rankings:
No. 1 Total Offense 392.6 ypg
No. 2 Passing Efficiency 172.9 rating

Derrick Wimbush
Halfback - Fort Valley State
6-2, 220, Senior, Mauk, Georgia

2004 Highlights: Has led the SIAC in rushing for the entire season�He has been picked as the SIAC�s �Offensive Player of the Week� five times this season�He has also been an honorable mention selection for D.2football.com�s �Offensive Player of the Week� as well�Derrick was also selected as a Don Hansen Honorable Mention �Offensive Player of the Week��Finished the regular season as the SIAC leader in rushing, scoring and all purpose yardage�Is ranked third in the country in rushing is tied for 6th in the nation in scoring and is 7th in the nation in all purpose yardage�2004 Key Stats:  Fin shed the season with 1,840 yards rushing on 247 carries (7.4 yards per carry) and averaged 167.3 yards a game�Caught nine passes for 27 yards and has scored 22 rushing touchdowns�Averaged 12.2 points per game (134 points) and averaged 169.7 yards per game in all purpose yardage�Had three games this season with at least a 50 yard run and two runs with at least a 40 yard run�Also had four games with at least a run of 30 yards�He rushed for a career high 239 yards against Clark Atlanta (9/18/04)�Set the Fort Valley record for most 200 yard games in a season (4), most rushing touchdowns in a season (22) and holds the Fort Valley record for most yards in a season (1,840)�Also holds the Fort Valley record for most consecutive games with at least 100 yards rushing (13)�Career Awards and Accomplishments: Led the SIAC in rushing during the 2003 season with 1,348 yards�Averaged 7.3 yards per carry and averaged 133.3 all purpose yards per game while finishing 14th in the nation in rushing (2003)�Was named as the SIAC�s 2003 �Offensive Player of the Year��He was a South Region finalist for the Harlon Hill Award�He was named to the Don Hansen All-American Team (2003) and was a Sheridan Black College All-American (2003)�He was named to the 2003 Daktronics All-South Region Team, 100% Wrong Club�s SIAC �Offensive Player of the Year� Team Honors and Records: Was named as Fort Valley�s �Most Valuable Player� and was named as the Fort Valley State �Male Athlete of the Year��

NCAA Rankings:
No. 3 Rushing 167.3 ypg
No. 5 Scoring 12.2 ppg
No. 8 All-Purpose 169.7 ypg