CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Watson named semifinalist for Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award

Watson named semifinalist for Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award


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BALTIMORE, MD --- The initial Top 43 Watch List for The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award in 2016 has been reduced to 15 of the country’s top college quarterbacks.

Remaining candidates for the prestigious annual award – named after the man many refer to as the

greatest quarterback ever to play the game of football - are:

J.T. Barrett, Ohio State

Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee

Luke Falk, Washington State

Chad Kelly, Ole Miss

Trevor Knight, Texas A&M

Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech

Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State

Cooper Rush, Central Michigan

Seth Russell, Baylor

Zach Terrell, Western Michigan

Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina

Greg Ward, Jr., Houston

Deshaun Watson, Clemson

Davis Webb, California

The Golden Arm Award is presented at the end of each season since 1987 to the nation’s top college quarterback, based on his accomplishments both on and off the field. Candidates must be a college senior or fourth-year junior on schedule to graduate with their class. These strong leaders have demonstrated a commitment to excellence and worked hard for themselves and their teams during the season and beyond.

“The Golden Arm Award considers character, citizenship, integrity, leadership, and honor – characteristics that were displayed by my father – to be every bit as important as the quarterback’s completion rate or number of touchdowns scored,” says John C. Unitas, Jr., President of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. “Despite my Dad’s outstanding accomplishments, he never forgot his humble beginnings, and that won him a permanent place in the hearts of everyone who ever knew him,”

This season, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. has aligned itself with new and returning local partners. As a media partner, 120 Sports, the OTT network, will work to tell the stories that surround the selection of candidates, profiling their football career and community involvement.

In 2016, The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, December 9, in Baltimore, MD. For the 2016 Golden Arm Award ceremony, The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. is happy to be returning to The Embassy Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor & Grand Historic Venue. Proceeds from the event help support the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. The Foundation provides financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young scholar athletes throughout Maryland and Kentucky.

The namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history. Johnny Unitas was an 18-year veteran of the NFL, who played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville before joining the Baltimore Colts in 1958. His career passing figures include 2,830 pass completions for 40,239 yards, 290 touchdowns and throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games.

Past standout winners of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award® include: Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997); Carson Palmer (USC, 2002); Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003); Brady Quinn (Notre Dame, 2006); Matt Ryan (Boston College, 2007); Colt McCoy (Texas, 2009); and Andrew Luck (Stanford, 2011), Marcus Mariota (Oregon, 2014) Last year’s winner Connor Cook, Michigan State.

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