Ochoa Named To Rimington Watch List
May 19, 2006
DALLAS, Texas — University of Kansas football senior David Ochoa (Houston, Texas) was one of 39 players listed on the 2006 Dave Rimington Trophy watch list released Friday. The 2006 season marks the seventh year of the Rimington Trophy, which recognizes the most outstanding center in college football, and the first as a regular member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA).
The 39-player spring watch list will be updated once prior to the beginning of the 2006 season. Five sophomores, 11 juniors and 23 seniors make up the very strong field.
The seven year old trophy is presented by Canon, MidAmerican Energy Holdings, USA and Black & Decker. The award is hosted by the Boomer Esiason Foundation. Minnesota’s Greg Eslinger, Michigan’s David Baas (2004 co-winner), LSU’s Ben Wilkerson (2004 co-winner), Virginia Tech’s Jake Grove, Miami’s Brett Romberg, Ohio State’s LeCharles Bentley, and Nebraska’s Dominic Raiola are past recipients. Esiason created his foundation in 1993 to support research and treatment of cystic fibrosis. Esiason and Rimington were teammates on the Cincinnati Bengals from 1984-87. Rimington, the award’s namesake, was a consensus first team All-American center at Nebraska in 1981 and 1982 during which he became the John Outland Trophy’s only double winner as the nation’s premiere college interior lineman.
The winner is selected by determining the consensus All-American center pick from four existing All-America teams including: American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America. Because the selectors of the four All-America teams can place centers in a “mix” of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11-man first teams can often have two centers. The policy of the Rimington Award is to count all players that play primarily the center position for their respective teams, even though they may be listed as guards or tackles on the four All-America teams.
The center with the most first team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the center with most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by the Rimington Trophy committee.
The winner will be honored at the awards banquet at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, Neb., in January of 2007.
