ORLANDO, Fla. – For the second straight year, LSU is the proud home of college football’s defensive player of the year and top defensive back as Tyrann Mathieu won the Chuck Bednarik Award and Morris Claiborne captured the Jim Thorpe Award on Thursday night at the ESPN College Football Awards from the Atlantic Boardwalk at Walt Disney World.
In addition, both players were named to the prestigious Walter Camp All-America First Team. LSU head coach Les Miles formally received The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award for leading the Tigers to a 13-0 record, a Southeastern Conference Championship and a BCS National Championship Game appearance. Defensive coordinator John Chavis was on hand as the recipient of the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach.
Mathieu, who is also a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, won the Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defender over Alabama’s Dont’a Hightower and Penn State’s Devin Still. Former No. 7 and teammate Patrick Peterson won the honor last year. LSU has now claimed more Bednarik Award winners than any school in the SEC. Georgia is the only other program to win one when David Pollack did so in 2004.
“It’s an honor to be recognized with this award, especially when you look at how good the other finalists are,” said Mathieu. “I accept this on behalf of our entire team and coaches. We take pride in our defense at LSU and that’s to be dominant every day. To win the award that Pat (Peterson) won last year is just a great feeling.”
Mathieu will now join the four other finalists for the Heisman Trophy for a flight to New York on Friday morning. The 77th-annual Heisman Memorial Trophy will be presented live Saturday on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT from the Best Buy Theatre in Times Square.
Claiborne, the SEC Coaches Defensive Player of the Year, finished second in the SEC in interceptions with six this season and his 11 career interceptions ranks sixth in LSU career annals. LSU joins Texas as the only schools to produce back-to-back Thorpe Award winners since the inception of the award in 1986.
“I am excited to be a part of the Thorpe family of winners,” said Claiborne. “We have so many great players at LSU and they push me everyday to get better. Winning this award is not possible without my teammates, Coach (John) Chavis and Coach (Ron) Cooper. We are proud to bring the Thorpe Award back home again to LSU.
Claiborne will be formally presented with the award at the 25th anniversary Jim Thorpe Award Banquet on Tuesday, Feb. 7, in Oklahoma City. The award will be presented by Patrick Peterson.
Jim Thrope Trophy Winners by School
Oklahoma 3
LSU 2
Arizona 2
Colorado 2
Florida State 2
Ohio State 2
Texas 2
12 Others with 1
Jim Thrope Trophy Winners by Year
Year, Player, School
1986, Thomas Everett, Baylor
1987 (tie), Bennie Blades, Miami (Fla.); Rickey Dixon, Oklahoma
1988, Deion Sanders, Florida State
1989, Mark Carrier, USC
1990, Darryll Lewis, Arizona
1991, Terrell Buckley, Florida State
1992, Deon Figures, Colorado
1993, Antonio Langham, Alabama
1994, Chris Hudson, Colorado
1995, Greg Meyers, Colorado State
1996, Lawrence Wright, Florida
1997, Charles Woodson, Michigan
1998, Antoine Winfield, Ohio State
1999, Tyrone Carter, Minnesota
2000, Jamar Fletcher, Wisconsin
2001, Roy Williams, Oklahoma
2002, Terence Newman, Kansas State
2003, Derrick Strait, Oklahoma
2004, Carlos Rogers, Auburn
2005, Michael Huff, Texas
2006, Aaron Ross, Texas
2007, Antoine Cason, Arizona
2008, Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State
2009, Eric Berry, Tennessee
2010, Patrick Peterson, LSU
2011, Morris Claiborne, LSU
Chuck Bednarik Award Winners by School
Penn State 4
LSU 2
Northwestern 2
10 Others with 1
Chuck Bednarik Award Winners by Season
Year, Player, School
1995, Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
1996, Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
1997, Charles Woodson, Michigan
1998, Dat Nguyen, Texas A&M
1999, LaVar Arrington, Penn State
2000, Dan Morgan, Miami
2001, Julius Peppers, North Carolina
2002, E. J. Henderson, Maryland
2003, Teddy Lehman, Oklahoma
2004, David Pollack, Georgia
2005, Paul Posluszny, Penn State
2006, Paul Posluszny, Penn State
2007, Dan Connor, Penn State
2008, Rey Maualuga, USC
2009, Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
2010, Patrick Peterson, LSU
2011, Tyrann Mathieu, LSU
Home Depot Coach of the Year Award by Year
Year, Winner, School
1994, Rich Brooks, Oregon
1995, Gary Barnett, Northwestern
1996, Bobby Bowden, Florida State
1997, Mike Price, Washington State
1998, Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee
1999, Frank Solich, Nebraska
2000, Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
2001, Ralph Friedgen, Maryland
2002, Tyrone Willingham, Notre Dame
2003, Pete Carroll, USC
2004, Urban Meyer, Utah
2005, Joe Paterno, Penn State
2006, Greg Schiano, Rutgers
2007, Mark Mangino, Kansas
2008, Nick Saban, Alabama
2009, Brian Kelly, Cincinnati
2010, Gene Chizik, Auburn
2011, Les Miles, LSU
2011 Walter Camp All-America Teams
First Team
Offense
Pos., Name, School, Class, Hometown, Height, Weight
QB, Andrew Luck, Stanford #, Sr., Houston, TX, 6-4, 235
RB, LaMichael James, Oregon *, Jr., Texarkana, TX, 5-9, 195
RB, Trent Richardson, Alabama, Jr., Pensacola, FL, 5-11, 224
WR, Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State *, Jr., Ardmore, OK, 6-1, 215
WR, Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma *, Sr., Norman, OK, 5-10, 188
TE, Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame, Jr., Fort Wayne, IN, 6-6, 249
OL, Barrett Jones, Alabama, Jr., Memphis, TN, 6-5, 311
OL, Matt Kalil, USC, Jr., Corona, CA, 6-7, 295
OL, Jonathan Martin, Stanford, Sr., Los Angeles, CA, 6-6, 304
C, David Molk, Michigan, Sr., Lemont, IL, 6-2, 286
PK, Randy Bullock, Texas A&M, Sr., Klein, TX, 5-9, 212
Defense
DL, Whitney Mercilus, Illinois, Jr., Akron, OH, 6-4, 265
DL, Devon Still, Penn State, Sr., Wilmington, DE, 6-5, 310
DL, Melvin Ingram, South Carolina, Sr., Hamlet, NC, 6-2, 276
DL, Jerel Worthy, Michigan State, Jr., Huber Heights, OH, 6-3, 310
LB, Luke Kuechly, Boston College *, Jr., Cincinnati, OH, 6-3, 237
LB, Dont’a Hightower, Alabama, Jr., Lewisburg, TN, 6-4, 260
LB, Jarvis Jones, Georgia, Soph., Columbus, GA, 6-3, 241
DB, Morris Claiborne, LSU, Jr., Shreveport, LA, 6-0, 185
DB, Mark Barron, Alabama, Sr., Mobile, AL, 6-2, 218
DB, Tyrann Mathieu, LSU, Soph., New Orleans, LA, 5-9, 175
DB, David Amerson, North Carolina State, Soph., Greensboro, NC, 6-3, 194
P, Shawn Powell, Florida State, Sr., Rome, GA, 6-4, 235
KR, Tyler Lockett, Kansas State, Fr., Tulsa, OK, 5-11, 170,
Second Team
Offense
Pos., Name, School, Class, Hometown, Height, Weight
QB, Robert Griffin III, Baylor, Jr., Copperas Cove, TX, 6-2, 220
RB, Montee Ball, Wisconsin, Jr., Wentzville, MO, 5-11, 210
RB, Bobby Rainey, Western Kentucky, Sr., Griffin, GA, 5-8, 205
WR, Robert Woods, USC, Soph., Carson, CA, 6-1, 180
WR, Jordan White, Western Michigan, Sr., Cleveland, OH, 6-0, 215
TE, Orson Charles, Georgia, Jr., Tampa, FL, 6-3, 241
OL, Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State, Sr., Claremore, OK, 6-6, 322
OL, Nate Potter, Boise State, Sr., Boise, ID, 6-6, 295
OL, Ryan Miller, Colorado, Sr., Littleton, CO, 6-8, 295
OL, Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin, Sr., Waukesha, WI, 6-4, 315
C, William Vlachos, Alabama, Sr., Birmingham, AL, 6-1, 294
PK, Caleb Sturgis, Florida, Jr., St. Augustine, FL, 5-11, 183
Defense
DL, Frank Alexander, Oklahoma, Sr., Baton Rouge, LA, 6-4, 255
DL, Vinny Curry, Marshall, Sr., Neptune, NJ, 6-4, 263
DL, Andre Branch, Clemson, Sr., Richmond, VA, 6-5, 260
DL, Joe Vellano, Maryland, Jr., Rexford, NY, 6-2, 285
LB, Manti Te’o, Notre Dame, Jr., Laie, HI, 6-2, 255
LB, Lavonte David, Nebraska, Sr., Miami, FL, 6-1, 225
LB, Courtney Upshaw, Alabama, Sr., Eufaula, AL, 6-2, 265
DB, Bacarri Rambo, Goergia, Jr., Donalsonville, GA, 6-0, 218
DB, Matt Daniels, Duke, Sr., Fayetteville, GA, 6-1, 210
DB, Nigel Malone, Kansas State, Jr., Manteca, CA, 5-10, 176
DB, Casey Hayward, Vanderbilt, Sr. , Elko, GA, 6-0, 188
P, Ryan Allen, Louisiana Tech, Jr., Salem, OR, 6-2, 215
KR, Joe Adams, Arkansas, Sr., Little Rock, AR, 5-11, 190
* – 2010 Walter Camp First Team All-America
# – 2010 Walter Camp Second Team All-America