Walk On All-Americans

For Immediate Release:
August 29th, 2005

The first ever College Football "Walk-On All Americans" watch list was announced today from project headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska. Players on the watch list will be followed throughout the upcoming football season; and an awards ceremony is being planned after the end of the season for this years award recipients. " The purpose of this award is to recognize all the walk-on football players in Division 1-A football who have worked their way into the starting line-up, or have become key back-ups or otherwise significant contributors to the success of the team. These walk-ons represent a special breed of college football player who are usually not recruited to big-time college programs, who demonstrate perseverance, have overcome adversities, and have excelled beyond all expectations.

The pre-season watch list includes 122 players representing 49 Division 1-A football programs. Criteria for selection to the watch list requires that each athlete represents the spirit of amateur collegiate athletics, be a starter or key contributor to the teams success, and through a determined work ethic and perseverance displays a passion for playing just for the "love of the game."

The watch list includes players at every position, both offense and defense, as well as special teams. Included on the list are 9 quarterbacks (1 starter), 12 running backs (10 starters), starters at every position on the field, and numerous pre-season all-conference and academic team players.

Each week, a "walk on week in review" will be published, highlighted the most notable performances among the candidates on the watch list. Game by game and cumulative statistics will be kept on each candidate and published by participating media outlets, as well as on the project website: www.walkonallamericans.com. Any players initially overlooked will be added to the watch list during the first month of the season, as they become known.

Fans will be able to vote for their favorite players at each position starting after the second full week of the season. The fans' poll, together with the votes of a yet-to-be-named selection committee, will be combined at the end of the season to arrive at the first team selections for these seasons' awards.

By K. Patrick McNenny
Freelance sportswriter
Lincoln, Ne.