The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Two Longhorns Named To Lombardi Award Watch List
08.24.2001 | Football
AUSTIN, Texas -- University of Texas senior offensive tackle Mike Williams (The Colony, Texas) and junior defensive end Cory Redding (Houston, Texas) each were named to the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List on Friday afternoon.
Williams, who also was named to this year's prestigious Playboy All-America team and the Outland Trophy Watch List, played in all 12 games as a junior and was a second-team All-Big 12 selection by the Houston Chronicle and honorable mention choice by the league's coaches. Last season, he helped pave the way for a UT offense that averaged 38.6 points per game (eighth NCAA), 439.0 yards per contest (14th NCAA/No. 6 on UT's all-time list) and a school-record 293.5 passing yards per game. A 2201 preseason first-team All-Big 12 selection by the media, Williams also shared UT's Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award with consensus All-American Leonard Davis, was second among UT offensive linemen with 36 pancake blocks last season and he has allowed only one sack in 15 career starts. ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. lists the 6-foot-6, 345 pounder as the sixth-best senior prospect and the second-best offensive tackle.
Redding, projected as an All-American by a handful of preseason publications and rated as the fourth-best defensive end in the nation by The Sporting News, registered 58 tackles, a team-best 6.5 sacks and 22 QB pressures and 17 TFLs as a sophomore. A preseason first-team All-Big 12 choice by the media this year, he also helped the Longhorns lead the Big 12 in sacks (43) a season ago and was a valuable member of a UT defense that was one of only three units nationally to rank among the top 17 in all five defensive categories. Redding earned second-team All-Big 12 honors from the Austin American-Statesman and The Sporting News and was an honorable mention choice by the league's coaches in 2000.
Established in 1970, the Lombardi Award honors the nation's outstanding lineman - offense or defense - who best exemplifies the character and discipline of Vince Lombardi, the legendary head coach of the Green Bay Packers, in addition to displaying outstanding performance and ability on the field.
Twelve semifinalists will be selected from the Watch List during the last week of October and four finalists will be chosen two weeks later. This year's winner will be announced at the Rotary Lombardi Award Dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at the JW Marriott on Westheimer in Houston.
Recent winners of the award include Florida State's Jamal Reynolds (2000), Virginia Tech's Corey Moore (1999), Texas A&M's Dat Nguyen (1998), Nebraska's Grant Wistrom (1997) and Ohio State's Orlando Pace (1995, '96).
Last year, Texas featured a pair of semifinalists for the award in consensus All-Americans and 2001 NFL first-round draft picks Casey Hampton and Leonard Davis.
