University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Place Two On Butkus Watch List
July 14, 2011 | Football
July 14, 2011
Chapel Hill, N.C. - North Carolina's Zach Brown and Kevin Reddick have been named to the Butkus Award watch list. The Butkus Award is presented annually to the nation's top linebacker. Carolina and Miami are the only ACC schools with two players on the watch list.
The watch list contains 51 candidates, honoring the now-retired professional jersey number of Dick Butkus, who is regarded by NFL Films as the best defensive player in football history. The selection panel is comprised of 51 coaches, evaluators and journalists, coordinated by Hub Arkush of Pro Football Weekly.
A senior from of Columbia, Md., Brown finished second on the team with 72 tackles despite starting just five games last year. He also was a special teams captain after earning the most points in Carolina's scoring system.
Reddick, a native of New Bern, N.C., has led the team in tackles in each of the last two seasons. He had 74 tackles a year ago and posted six tackles for losses, two interceptions and five pass breakups. He scored his first career touchdown with a 22-yard interception return in UNC's 41-10 win at Virginia.
The Collegiate Butkus Award watch list includes 51 candidates from 40 universities across 10 conferences. Semi-finalists will be named October 24, finalists November 22, and winners will be notified on or before December 7.
The Butkus Award, www.thebutkusaward.com or www.facebook.com/51.butkus, is presented by the Butkus Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization. It is part of the National College Football Awards Association, a coalition of the major collegiate awards.
-TarHeelBlue.com-
