Dec. 8, 2007
IOWA CITY — Senior running back Albert Young and senior linebacker Mike Humpal have been named winners of the 2007 Roy J. Carver Most Valuable Player Award for the University of Iowa football team. The announcement came this evening (Saturday, Dec. 8) at the team’s annual awards banquet in Iowa City.
The Hawkeyes finished the season with a 6-6 overall record, 4-4 in the Big Ten Conference, marking a first-division league finish for the sixth time in seven years. Iowa was bowl-eligible for the seventh consecutive season.
Young, a 5-foot-10, 209-pounder from Moorestown, N.J., was Iowa’s leading rusher for the third straight year. He totaled 968 rushing yards and had seven touchdowns and was named honorable mention all-Big Ten. Young had 25 career touchdowns, tying for third all-time at Iowa. For his career, Young had 3,173 rushing yards, finishing behind only Ladell Betts (3,686) and Sedrick Shaw (4,156).
Humpal, a 6-3, 242-pounder from New Hampton, Iowa, was a second-team all-Big Ten selection. He led the Hawkeyes and ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 123 tackles. That tackle total was 43 better than the second-highest tackler on the team (A.J. Edds). Humpal was named National Defensive Player of the Week following an 18-tackle performance against Illinois earlier this year. He had 197 career stops.
“Thank you for the opporunity Coach (Kirk Ferentz). I will always, always appreciate it,” Humpal said.
“I want to also thank Coach J (running backs coach Carl Jackson),” Young offered. “Thanks for being my friend, thanks for being my coach. You made me better and I’ll never forget that.”
Both Young and Humpal earned numerous other awards announced at the banquet. Both were named winners of the Hayden Fry Extra Heartbeat Award. Humpal shared the Hayden Fry Award with senior defensive end Bryan Mattison. Mattison, a 6-3, 272-pounder from Mishawaka, Ind., had 61 tackles in 2007. He also registered 11.5 tackles for loss (for minus-60 yards) and nine quarterback sacks. The Hayden Fry Award is given in honor of Iowa’s Hall of Fame coach who retired after the 1998 season. It goes to a player who gives “that little extra” at all times.
Humpal also received the Iron Hawk Award presented to the player who has given his all on every play for the entire season and has represented the team and school in exemplary fashion.
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Iowa’s head coach said he believes the accomplishments of the UI football program in the mid-2000’s were the direct result of the work of the senior class of the 2000 Hawkeyes — and that the opportunity to see history repeat itself is possible.
“I tend to think of myself as an optimist. I believe this year’s senior class has put us on the right path. It’s now our responsibility to push it through in the years to come.” |
Three players shared the Next Man In Award. The winner on offense was junior tight end Brandon Myers. Defensively, redshirt freshman defensive back Brett Greenwood took the award. Receiving the honor for special teams was redshirt freshman linebacker Jeff Tarpinian. All three of the winners replaced a starter who left the lineup with an injury and continued to deliver excellent performances.
Senior defensive back Adam Shada was named winner of the Forest Evashevski Scholastic Achievement Award. The award goes to a player who displays a high degree of proficiency in both the classroom and on the playing field. Shada is a two-time first team academic All-American and a three-time member of the academic all-Big Ten team. He is a finance major with a 4.0 grade-point average.
The 2006 Coaches Appreciation Awards went to seniors Tom Busch (offense), Charles Godfrey (defense) and Danny Olszta (special teams). Busch played fullback, Godfrey was a defensive back and Olszta was a long-snapper.
Redshirt freshman punter Ryan Donahue was named winner of the Reggie Roby Special Team Specialist of the Year. Another redshirt freshman, Jayme Murphy, was named winner of the overall Reggie Roby Special Teams Player of the Year Award. The awards are named after the late Iowa punter who was first-team All-American in 1981 and 1982. Roby died in 2005. He punted in the NFL for 16 years.
The Hawkeye Hustle Awards went to six players. On offense, the winners are running back Damian Sims and lineman Seth Olsen. Defensively, the honors went to junior tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul. The special teams winners are junior defensive back Bradley Fletcher and redshirt freshman running back Paki O’Meara.
Team Leader Awards were given offensively to back Taylor Herbst, offensive lineman Kyle Haganman and quarterback Marvin McNutt. Defensive winners are linemen Jared Oberland and Lebron Daniel and linebacker Bruce Davis.
Young and Busch (offense), Humpal and Mattison (defense) and Olszta (special teams) were named permanent captains for the 2007 season. All five are seniors.
The Win During the Week Award went to quarterback Jake Christensen, Shada and linebacker Mike Klinkenborg.
The Player Appreciation Award went to Iowa businessman Randy Winegard of Burlington. Winegard is a former UI student and long-time supporter of the Hawkeyes. He has gained prominence as an innovative Iowa businessman and entrepreneur.
“I am humbled and so honored to be with you tonight, and I thank everyone on the podium (Ferentz and Iowa’s seniors) and in the audience tonight for the enjoyment they provide Iowans like me each Saturday afternoon. Go Hawks!” said Winegard.
The Bump Elliott Appreciation Award went to Iowa football secretaries Amy Thomas and Terry Armstrong. Both have been long-time employees of the athletic department and have been part of the Iowa football family for many years.
In his closing remarks, Ferentz thanked the fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes for their never-ending support, the parents of the student-athletes for providing the coaching staff the opportunity to tutor their sons, and a wide variety of “support staffs,” ranging from the spouses of the football staff to the senior administration of the University and the UI Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.”
“What makes anything special are the people involved and it is obvious we have great people involved in this program,” said Ferentz, who noted that the 2007 season was his 18th as a member of the staff at the University of Iowa.
“There is a degree of uniqueness that we enjoy. We are very, very fortunate to be here.”
Ferentz likened the 2007 season to the 2000 campaign — a year where a bowl game wasn’t achieved but significance progress was thanks in great measure to outstanding leadership provided by a determined and senior class.
Iowa’s head coach said he believes the accomplishments of the UI football program in the mid-2000s were the direct result of the work of the senior class of the 2000 Hawkeyes — and that the opportunity to see history repeat itself is possible.
“I tend to think of myself as an optimist. I believe this year’s senior class has put us on the right path. It’s now our responsibility to push it through in the years to come.”
It would come as no surprise to fans of the Hawkeyes that the common theme running through comments live and taped by Iowa’s 13 senior was “family.”
“It truly is a ‘Hawkeye family’ and I’m very proud to be a part of it,” said Sims.
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