FOR RELEASE - TUESDAY November 20

CONTACT: JEFF HODGES-  (256) 765-4595

NINE FINALISTS NAMED FOR  HILL TROPHY AS NCAA DIVISION II FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

FLORENCE, Ala. --  A field of 24 candidates has been trimmed to nine national finalists in regional voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year.

The top two players  from  each of the Northeast, Southwest and Northwest regions advanced through regional voting, as well as three from the Southeast where there was a tie in the voting. The finalists were selected by the NCAA Division II sports information directors in regional voting and are now on the national ballot where all 149 of the division's SIDs will select the award's 22nd  winner.

The list of 2007 finalists is comprised of four running backs, three quarterbacks, a receiver and a linebacker.

Seven of the finalists have helped lead their teams into the NCAA Division II playoffs this season, including the 2006 Hill Trophy Winner Danny Woodhead of Chadron State.

Advancing from the Southwest region are 2006 Hill Trophy winner  Danny Woodhead of Chadron State

College and junior running back Bernard Scott of Abilene Christian.   Finalists from the Northeast region are senior running back Jamar Brittingham of Bloomsburg, who was a finalist in 2005,  and senior running back Dervon Wallace of Shepherd.  Sophomore  quarterback  Brad Iciek of  Grand Valley State University and senior wide receiver Weston Dressler of the University of North Dakota  were selected from the Northwest region. Southeast Region finalists include senior linebacker Michael Eubanks of Delta State Universiity, junior quarterback David Knighton of Harding University and junior quarterback A.J. Milwee of the University of North Alabama. 

The second round of this weekend's Division II playoffs will feature three head-to-head matchups between Hill finalists.  Eubanks and Milwee will face off in the North Alabama-Delta State game, Iciek and Dressler will meet in the Grand Valley State-North Dakota game and Scott and Woodhead will compete against each other in the Abilene Christian-Chadron State game. .

The Hill Trophy is sponsored by Coca-Cola, the City of Florence, Ala.,  Trustmark Construction, Herff Jones, the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa and Opti-Net.

Candidates for the 2007 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.

National voting will conclude on November 30  and  the   top three finishers will be invited to the Shoals for the presentation banquet. The winner of the 2007 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 14 in Florence, prior to the NCAA Division II Football Championship Game on Dec. 15.

Tickets are $45 each or $360 for a table of eight and can be purchased by calling the Shoals Chamber of Commerce at (256) 764-4661.

Brittingham, a senior from Levittown, Pa., is the 2007 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division Player of the Year and  ranks 10th nationally in rushing with an average of 143.5 yards per game.

He also ranks fourth nationally in scoring and eighth in all-purpose yardage. He finished third in the 2005 Hill voting but missed much of 2006 due to injury.

Dressler, a junior from Bismarck, N.D., was named first-team All-North Central Conference at three positions - receiver, return specialist and utility player. He is believed to be the first player in the league's history to have accomplished that feat. He is just the fourth player in NCC history to be first-team all- conference four times. This season he has 71 catches for 1,178 yards and 12 touchdowns and has helped lead North Dakota to a 10-1 record entering this weekend's second round playoff game.

Eubanks, a senior from Cleveland, Miss., set the all-time Division II career record for quarterback sacks with 39 for 249 yards. He ranks third all-time in Division II history in career tackles for loss with 67.5 for 355 yards. He leads the nation's third ranked defense with 84 tackles, 12 sacks and 24 tackles for loss, and he has helped lead Delta State to a 10-1 record that includes a Gulf South Conference Championship and a spot in this weekend's NCAA playoffs.

Iciek, a sophomore from Allendale, Mich., has helped lead Grand Valley State to a perfect 10-0 record,a  conference championship and a No.1 ranking in the Division II national poll all season. He ranks second in the nation in passing efficiency with a 184.8 rating, having thrown for 2,248 yards and 25 touchdowns. He has thrown just six interceptions in 215 passes, while completing 138.

Knighton, a junior from Seminole, Okla., ranks third nationally in passing yards with a 319.8 average and is also third in the nation in total offense with 331 yards per game. He threw three or more touchdown passes in a game six times this season, including seven TD passes in one game - while rushing for an eighth.

Milwee, a junior from Boaz, Ala., has a 20-2 record as a starting quarterback at North Alabama and is ranked among the national leaders in passing efficiency.  He has thrown for 2,268 yards and 20 touchdowns this season while leading UNA to a 9-1 record and into the second round of the Division II playoffs. He has rushed or thrown for at least one touchdown in all 22 of his starts.

Scott, a junior from Vernon, Texas, ranks third in Division II in rushing with a 157.9 yard average and leads the nation in scoring with 198 points and 33 touchdowns. He is third in all-purpose yards with 201.5 per game. Scott's 1,862 rushing yards is the second highest single season total in Lone Star Conference history behind only three-time Hill Trophy winner Johnny Bailey's 2,011 yards in 1986. He has helped lead Abilene Christian to a 10-2 record and into the second round of the playoffs. 

Wallace, a senior from Lusby, Maryland, leads Division II in rushing this season with an average of 195.2 yards per game. He has scored 21 rushing touchdowns to rank fifth in scoring, and he leads the nation in all-purpose yardage with 2,270. He rushed for more than 300 yards in a game twice and had 280 yards in another contest. He has led Shepherd to a perfect 11-0 record and to the second round of the playoffs.

Woodhead, a senior from North Platte, Neb., is the leading rusher in all divisions in the history of NCAA collegiate football.  Despite being injured for part of the 2007 season, he has rushed for 1,319 yards and 18 touchdowns. He scored in 38 straight games to set another all-divisions record and his 35 career 100-yard rushing games broke the Division II record. He is just the sixth Division II player to rush for at least 1,000 yards in all four seasons and his 19 career 200-plus yard rushing games is also an NCAA record. His 146.6 yards per game this season ranks eighth in the nation and he has led Chadron to a perfect 11-0 record and into the second round of the playoffs.  Woodhead is trying to become just the third player to win the Hill Trophy twice.

The initial Harlon Hill Trophy was won by North Dakota State quarterback Jeff Bentrim in 1986, followed  by  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 and Valdosta State University quarterback Chris Hatcher in 1994. North Alabama linebacker Ronald McKinnon became the first defensive player to win the award when he claimed the Hill Trophy in 1995.

Truman State University running back Jarrett Anderson won the 1996 award and Bloomsburg University running back Irvin Sigler claimed the Hill Trophy in 1997 award. Running back Brian Shay of Emporia State won in 1998, followed by Northern Colorado quarterback Corte McGuffey in 1999 and Valdosta State quarterback Dusty Bonner in 2000 and 2001, and Grand Valley State quarterback Curt Anes in 2002.  The 2003 trophy was awarded to North Alabama quarterback Will Hall, Chad Friehauf of the Colorado School of Mines won the 2004 award and Jimmy Terwilliger  of East Stroudsburg claimed the 2005 Hill Trophy as a junior.

2007 HARLON HILL TROPHY FINALISTS

Finalist                Pos.  Ht    Wt    Cl    School            Hometown

Jamar Brittingham       RB    6-0   203   SR    Bloomsburg  Levittown, Pa.

Weston Dressler         WR    5-8   165   SR    North Dakota   Bismarck, N.D.

Michael Eubanks         LB    6-2   225   SR    Delta State   Cleveland, Miss.

Brad Iciek              QB    6-1   190   SO    Grand Valley State   Allendale, Mich.

David Knighton          QB    6-1   225   JR    Harding        Seminole, Okla.

A.J. Milwee             QB    5-10  175   JR    North Alabama     Boaz, Ala.

Bernard Scott                 RB    5-11  220   JR    Abilene Christian     Vernon, Texas

Dervon Wallace          RB    5-6   177   SR    Shepherd          Lusby, Maryland

Danny Woodhead          TB    5-9   200   SR    Chadron State      North Platte, Neb.