Watson named to final five of Johnny Unitas Award

by Press Release - Tue Nov 01 14:42:00 GMT-04:00 2016

BALTIMORE, MD — The 2016 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award candidates have been reduced to the Top 5 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:

Luke Falk, Washington State

Patrick Mahomes II, Texas Tech

Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina

Deshaun Watson, Clemson

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.

“If Johnny Unitas was still with us he would have been proud of the Selection committees’ belief, trust and great job in identifying these college Quarterbacks’ that best represent what he stood for,” said Mel Kiper, ESPN Analysis.

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 & The Grand.

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.