11-19-2003, 11:39 PM
Northern Illinois' "Burner" Turner among Doak Walker finalists
November 19, 2003
DALLAS (Ticker) - Michael Turner of Northern Illinois was among the eight semifinalists named Wednesday for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the top running back in the country.
Nicknamed "Burner," Turner leads Division I-A with 1,482 rushing yards and is fourth with 1,854 all-purpose yards, helping the surprising Huskies to a 9-1 mark in the Mid-American Conference and the top 25 in the polls.
Turner would be the third player in four years from a non-major conference to win the award, following LaDainian Tomlinson of Texas Christian in 2000 and Luke Staley of Brigham Young in 2001.
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Larry Johnson of Penn State - now with the Kansas City Chiefs - won last year.
The list also includes Darren Sproles of Kansas State, Michigan's Chris Perry, Derrick Knight of Boston College, Oregon State's Steven Jackson, Kevin Jones of Virginia Tech, West Virginia's Quincy Wilson and Shaud Williams of Alabama.
The semifinalists include the top four rushers in the nation. Turner is first, followed by Sproles (1,440 yards), Perry (1,435) and Knight (1,402). Each of the other four is in the top 15.
Sproles leads the country with 2,073 all-purpose yards and is one of three underclassmen in the group, joining Jackon and Jones. Perry and Jones are tied for fifth in the nation with 15 rushing touchdowns.
The 144 members of the Doak Walker Award national selection committee will cast their votes this week to determine the winner. Three finalists will be named December 1. The recipient will be announced December 11.
The award has been presented each year since 1990. Winners include Garrison Hearst of Georgia (1992), Bam Morris of Texas Tech (1993), Rashaan Salaam of Colorado (1994), Eddie George of Ohio State (1995) and Ricky Williams of Texas (1997-98).
November 19, 2003
DALLAS (Ticker) - Michael Turner of Northern Illinois was among the eight semifinalists named Wednesday for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the top running back in the country.
Nicknamed "Burner," Turner leads Division I-A with 1,482 rushing yards and is fourth with 1,854 all-purpose yards, helping the surprising Huskies to a 9-1 mark in the Mid-American Conference and the top 25 in the polls.
Turner would be the third player in four years from a non-major conference to win the award, following LaDainian Tomlinson of Texas Christian in 2000 and Luke Staley of Brigham Young in 2001.
ADVERTISEMENT
Larry Johnson of Penn State - now with the Kansas City Chiefs - won last year.
The list also includes Darren Sproles of Kansas State, Michigan's Chris Perry, Derrick Knight of Boston College, Oregon State's Steven Jackson, Kevin Jones of Virginia Tech, West Virginia's Quincy Wilson and Shaud Williams of Alabama.
The semifinalists include the top four rushers in the nation. Turner is first, followed by Sproles (1,440 yards), Perry (1,435) and Knight (1,402). Each of the other four is in the top 15.
Sproles leads the country with 2,073 all-purpose yards and is one of three underclassmen in the group, joining Jackon and Jones. Perry and Jones are tied for fifth in the nation with 15 rushing touchdowns.
The 144 members of the Doak Walker Award national selection committee will cast their votes this week to determine the winner. Three finalists will be named December 1. The recipient will be announced December 11.
The award has been presented each year since 1990. Winners include Garrison Hearst of Georgia (1992), Bam Morris of Texas Tech (1993), Rashaan Salaam of Colorado (1994), Eddie George of Ohio State (1995) and Ricky Williams of Texas (1997-98).
