Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The cobblestone roads of a historical city
will lead to an evening of recognizing achievement in college football.
The Football Championship Subdivision Awards Presentation and Banquet is
returning to the City of Brotherly Love this year.
The Sports Network announced Tuesday that the 26th annual awards ceremony will
be held on Monday evening, Dec. 17, 2012, at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel
in Philadelphia, a stone's throw - or perhaps a quarterback's pass to a wide
receiver on the fly - from Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and so many
other historical sites.
TSN, whose headquarters are located in nearby Hatboro, will present the four
major awards in the FCS - the Walter Payton (FCS outstanding player) and the
Eddie Robinson (FCS coach of the year) for the 26th time, the Buck Buchanan
(FCS outstanding defensive player) for the 18th time, and the Jerry Rice (FCS
freshman of the year) for the second time.
A star-studded list of guests, as always, will be in attendance for the
magical night. A cobblestone street will guide them to the stately Sheraton
Society Hill.
"Having attended and graduated from a small school myself, actually Division
III," said Mickey Charles, President and CEO of The Sports Network, "I was
acutely aware of the lack of recognition paid to the universities and colleges
of the then-Division I-AA and, in particular, to all of the stellar football
graduates whose exploits and names were household items during the NFL season.
It was simply a matter of my providing a platform for the acknowledgment and
respect they so richly deserved. It seems, happily, that we have succeeded
over the years."
The Payton, Buchanan, Rice and Robinson awards will be voted on by a panel of
more than 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters,
writers and other dignitaries following the regular season. The top three
vote-getters for the Payton Award and the winners of the other three awards
will be invited to the FCS Awards Presentation.
At last season's awards presentation in Frisco, Texas, Eastern Washington
quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and Towson coach Rob Ambrose were the silver
anniversary recipients of the Payton and Robinson awards, respectively. New
Hampshire linebacker Matt Evans captured the Buck Buchanan Award and Towson
running back Terrance West was the Jerry Rice Award recipient.
The Sports Network