Indiana University Athletics
Lewis MVP, Seniors Recognized at IU Football Banquet
11/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 20, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis earned the 2006 Anthony Thompson MVP Award, IU head coach Terry Hoeppner announced at the team banquet on Sunday, Nov. 19 at the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention Center. Hoeppner also recognized the team's 21 seniors, including captains Lance Bennett (wide receiver/return specialist), Justin Frye (offensive line), Kenny Kendal (defensive line) and Will Meyers (safety), while handing out 10 additional season-ending awards.
In his first season under center, Lewis became the first quarterback to lead the Hoosiers in passing and rushing since Antwaan Randle El in 2000. The redshirt freshman finished the season with 2,221 yards through the air, which ranks seventh on the Hoosiers' single-season list, and 441 yards on the ground. Lewis set a freshman record with 14 touchdown tosses, which ranks third on the single-season list, and added five rushing touchdowns. His 2,662 total yards of total offense is good for fourth on the school's single-season charts and is the most in a season since Randle El's total of 3,053 in 2000. The Jacksonville, Fla., native also finished fifth on the single-season list with 346 attempts and sixth with 190 completions.
Lewis delivered one of the most impressive performances in school history in IU's win over Michigan State on Oct. 28, accounting for all six of the team's touchdowns in the game. He became just the fourth Hoosier in history to account for six scores in a single game, joining Bob Hoernschemeyer (Nebraska, 1943), Antwaan Randle El (Western Michigan, 9/12/98) and Levron Williams (Wisconsin, 10/6/01). His five passing touchdowns were the second-most in school history, tying Jay Rodgers (Ball State, 9/13/97) and Tim Clifford (Colorado, 9/27/80). Hoernschemeyer threw for six scores against the Cornhuskers.
Following the MSU game he carded his second Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor, becoming the first Hoosier since Levron Williams in 2001 to be honored by the conference twice in one season. Lewis secured co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week laurels following his efforts in the team's 31-28 win over No. 13 Iowa - the first Hoosier since Gibran Hamdan on Oct. 14, 2002 to earn the honor. Lewis also earned recognition on the national scene following the battle with the Hawkeyes. Along with being selected as one of four finalists for the All-America Player of the Week, Lewis was named USA Today Player of the Week and Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week.
Senior offensive lineman Chris Mangiero received the Howard Brown Award. This award is given to a player who exemplifies the qualities of former IU assistant coach Howard Brown. Brown demonstrated compassion, courage, understanding, humor, sportsmanship and a strong competitive spirit as a player, coach and as a man. He was the team MVP in 1945 and again in 1947 and captained the squad in 1946 and 1947. Brown played as a freshman in 1942 before joining the Infantry. He won three Purple Hearts while serving in Europe and returned to Bloomington after the start of the 1945 season.
Finding himself on the field as a freshman, Mangiero started 29 games in his four-year career. The Brooklyn, N.Y., product started the first four games at center in 2006 after receiving starts in all 11 games at center in 2005, and he concluded this season at right guard the final two ballgames. Appearing in all 12 contests this year, Mangiero saw action in 37 games during his time in Bloomington.
Meyers and senior quarterback Graeme McFarland won the Ted Whereatt Award, which is given to seniors who have excelled academically. Ted Whereatt was a long-time resident of the Indiana University community. He served as an Assistant to the Dean of University Division. In his capacity, he counseled student-athletes with their educational program.
A first team Academic All-American in 2005, Meyers earned a spot on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V team for the second straight season in 2006. Meyers also earned Academic All-Big Ten accolades in 2004 and 2005. He is expected to graduate in May of 2007 with a degree in accounting.
Meyers collected a team-best 78 tackles, 53 solos and five interceptions in addition to four tackles for loss, four pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on the season. He closed out his career with two interceptions and a forced fumble at Purdue on Nov. 18. The Chesterfield, Mo., native shared the Big Ten lead with .42 interceptions per game, which ranked 26th nationally, and finished the year tied for 19th in the league with 6.5 tackles per game. Meyers started all 12 games at safety in 2006 and recorded 30 starts in his four-year career. As a freshman, he collected first team Freshman All-American and Big Ten Defensive Freshman of the Year honors from The Sporting News.
McFarland captured Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2003 and 2005. In the spring of 2006, McFarland became the first Indiana football player since Kevin Speer (1981) to earn an induction into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and largest academic honor society. The Birmingham, Ala., native will graduate following the spring semester with a biology degree.
Senior linebacker Jake Powers is this year's Ted Verlihay Award winner. The Ted Verlihay Award is given to the player who has demonstrated the best mental attitude and loyalty to Indiana Football. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Ted Verlihay earned a letter following the 1967 football season. He was a physical education major at IU.
Providing a boost of energy to the defense and on special teams, Powers played in 11 games in 2006 and appeared in 44 games over his career. He finished the season with 33 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. In his top performance of the season, Powers earned a game ball after recording eight tackles as the Hoosiers stormed back for a 34-32 victory over Illinois on Oct. 7.
Bennett earned the Corby Davis Award, which was established by the family and friends of Corby Davis to honor a senior player whose conduct on campus, in the classroom and on the football field most closely exemplifies the qualities of former Big Ten MVP Corby Davis. Davis, a 1992 inductee into the IU Hall of Fame, earned letters in football in 1934, 1935 and 1937 and lettered in track in 1935. He was the Big Ten MVP and a first team All-American in 1937. The fullback was a first round pick of the Cleveland Rams. His four-year professional career was broken up because he served in the War prior to retiring in 1942.
One of the top return men in school history, Bennett finished his career second in IU history with 1,566 career kick return yards. During the 2004 season, Bennett enjoyed his greatest success. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native returned 20 kicks for 599 yards - the fourth-best total in school history - and recorded a 98-yard touchdown return (fourth-longest return in school history) as the Hoosiers defeated No. 24 Oregon.
Kendal took home the Chris Dal Sasso Award, given to the defensive lineman who exemplifies the qualities of Chris Dal Sasso, a three-year letterman and captain in 1936. Following graduation, Dal Sasso spent 15 years at South Bend Central High School as an assistant coach, head coach and athletic director. His tenure there was interrupted by a four-year stint in the Air Force. Dal Sasso joined the Indiana coaching staff in 1952 as an assistant coach, where he served in that capacity until taking over an assistant administrator position in 1957. In this position, he handled the Big Ten financial aid program.
Kendal started all 12 games at defensive end in 2006, leading the team with four sacks and sharing second with 5.5 tackles for loss. The Chicago product finished his career with 13 sacks and 22 tackles for loss. He started all 23 Hoosier games during his freshman and sophomore seasons, recording career highs with 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in 2004.
Frye is the Don Howell Award recipient, given to the outstanding offensive lineman in memory of Don Howell. Howell was a two-way lineman from Hobart, Ind. He played for the Hoosiers from 1954-57 and served as the team's captain in 1957. After graduation he returned to his hometown and later served as the head coach at Hobart High School, where he won over 300 games to rank as one of the state's all-time winningest high school head coaches.
The most versatile offensive lineman on the Hoosiers, Frye played all five positions during his Hoosier career. In 2006, Frye started the year at left tackle the first four games and made the move to center the final eight games to make way for freshman standout Rodger Saffold. Moving into the lineup as a redshirt freshman, Frye started all 45 games in which he appeared, matching former offensive linemen Enoch DeMar and Adam Hines with the most consecutive starts since 1999.
Senior wide receiver Jahkeen Gilmore garnered the Al Barsch Award, given to the player who has hung tough and fought through adversity. Al Barsch was an alumnus from Ohio who helped Indiana in recruiting and assisted players in finding jobs in the Cleveland area. He died of cancer in the mid-1980s.
Contributing to one of Indiana's most talented crops of receivers in recent memory, Gilmore finished the 2006 campaign with 28 catches for 419 yards. Gilmore ended his time in Bloomington with 81 receptions, five touchdowns and broke the 1,000-yard mark with 1,110 career yards. Arriving on campus as a partial qualifier, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native will graduate following the 2006 fall semester.
Senior defensive back Troy Grosfield was named the Pete Schmidt Award winner. This award is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of former Indiana Assistant Head Coach Pete Schmidt, most specifically to the individual who places the Indiana Football program above himself. One of the most highly successful coaches in college football history, Schmidt passed away on September 29, 2000, after a year-long battle with lymphoma. "There is no such thing as a bad day," Schmidt would often say, and it best describes the manner in which he lived his life.
Starting his Indiana career as a kicker, Grosfield moved to defensive back in 2004 and became a leader in the secondary. Seeing action in all 12 games this season, Grosfield finished second on the team with 63 tackles. He added 42 solo stops, two tackles for loss, one interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. This came on the heels of a junior campaign where he started nine games and compiled 57 tackles.
Sophomore wide receiver James Hardy, junior cornerback Tracy Porter and sophomore running back Marcus Thigpen collected the Hoosier Big Playmaker Awards on offense, defense and special teams, respectively.
Hardy turned in one of the most prolific seasons for a receiver in school history for the second straight season. He added his second consecutive 10-touchdown campaign, which ranks second on IU's single-season charts, and his 20 career touchdowns (in 20 career games) put him in a tie for second place with Ernie Jones (1984-87) on the all-time list. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native led the team with 51 receptions, 722 yards and the 10 touchdowns. He also recorded three 100-yard games to give him eight in his career, putting him in a tie for second on the IU charts.
Additionally, Hardy became only the second Hoosier in history to have more than one game with three receiving touchdowns in his career, joining Jade Butcher (1967-69) in that elite club. Hardy had three touchdowns against Iowa on Oct. 14 and followed that with a school-record four touchdowns against Michigan State on Oct. 28.
Porter finished this season second on the club with four interceptions, second with 51 solo stops and third with 59 tackles. He also led the team with eight pass breakups, recovered one fumble, forced a fumble and blocked a field goal. The Port Allen, La., native pushed his career interception total to 10, which is tied for fifth in school history. Additionally, Porter returned a punt 86 yards for a score as IU earned a victory in its season opener against Western Michigan on Sept. 2. In his best performance of the season, Porter notched his second-career multi-interception game with a pair of picks against Connecticut on Sept. 23 in addition to blocking a field goal and making three tackles. He also tied for fourth in the Big Ten with 0.33 interceptions per contest and 1.00 passes defended per game.
Thigpen led the nation with three kick returns for scores this season and finished fifth in the nation with a 30.1 kickoff return average. The Detroit product made history against Connecticut with an 87-yard return to become the lone player in IU history to collect two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a single season. He added his third score off a kickoff at Illinois (98 yards), moving him into first place on the career list and netting him Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors following the contest. He became the first Hoosier to claim the honor since punter Drew Hagan captured the award on Oct. 31, 1999. Thigpen also returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score at Ball State. It marked the third 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in IU history. He joins Derin Graham (vs. Wisconsin - Oct. 3, 1998) and Freal McIntosh (vs. Washington & Lee - 1915) as the only Hoosiers to return a kick 100 yards.
Senior running back Kenni Burns and senior defensive lineman Nick Luce earned 2006 Scout of the Year honors.
2006 INDIANA FOOTBALL AWARDS
2006 Scout of the Year Awards
Offense - Kenni Burns
Defense - Nick Luce
Hoosier Big Play Maker Award
Offense - James Hardy
Defense - Tracy Porter
Special Team - Marcus Thigpen
Pete Schmidt Award "Team Above Self Award" - Troy Grosfield
Al Barsch Award "Hang Tough Award" - Jahkeen Gilmore
Don Howell Award "Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award" - Justin Frye
Chris Dal Sasso Award "Outstanding Defensive Lineman Award" - Kenny Kendal
Corby David Memorial Award - Lance Bennett
Ted Verlihay Award "Mental Attitude and Loyalty Award" - Jake Powers
Ted Whereatt Award "Senior Academic Excellence Award" - Will Meyers & Graeme McFarland
Howard Brown Award - Chris Mangiero
Hoosier Captains 2006
Lance Bennett
Justin Frye
Kenny Kendal
Will Meyers
Anthony Thompson MVP Award - Kellen Lewis
