By Staff
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the recipients of three major awards – Alumnus of the Year (Tim Brown), Man of the Year (Morten Andersen) and Distinguished American (Len Dawson).
"We are extremely honored to recognize three outstanding human beings for these awards," Foundation president John Barbarotta said. "These three individuals have not only made their mark on the gridiron, but their accomplishments in a greater capacity make them worthy recipients."
The major award winners as well as the members of the 2008 Walter Camp All-America team – the 119th honored by the Foundation – will be recognized at the organization's 42nd annual national awards banquet on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven. Dinner ($275.00) tickets can be purchased by calling (203) 288-CAMP.
Alumnus of the Year – Tim Brown
The 2008 Walter Camp Alumnus of the Year is Tim Brown (Notre Dame). The
1987 Walter Camp Player of the Year, Brown finished his collegiate career at Notre Dame with a school record 5,024 all-purpose yards. Brown also was the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy and is a member of the Walter Camp All-Century Team.
Brown was drafted in the first round by the then-Los Angeles Raiders 1988 and played 16 seasons with the Raiders setting franchise records for touchdowns, receiving yards, punt return yards and all-purpose yardage. He was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and a member of the NFL 1990's All-Decade team. Brown holds the NFL record for 10 consecutive seasons with at least 75 receptions. He finished his professional career with14,394 receiving yards, the second-highest total in NFL history.
Brown joins a distinguished list of former "Alumni of the Year" winners, including Alan Page (Notre Dame), Archie Griffin (Ohio State), Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh), Herschel Walker (Georgia) and last year's recipient Ray Guy (Southern Mississippi).
Man of the Year – Morten Andersen
Record-setting placekicker Morten Andersen (Michigan State) is the recipient of the 2008 Walter Camp "Man of the Year" award. Born in Denmark, Andersen attended Michigan State and was named to the 1981 Walter Camp All-America team. Anderson is also a member of the Walter Camp All-Century Team.
After his successful collegiate career, Andersen went on to play 26 seasons in the NFL for five different teams (New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings).
Andersen holds the distinction of being the all-time leader scorer in NFL history as well as the all-time leading scorer for two different teams (Saints and Falcons). A seven-time Pro Bowl selection, Andersen was a member of the NFL All-Decade Teams for both the 1980s and 1990s. Andersen also holds the honor of being the first NFL kicker to kick three field goals of over 50 yards in a single game. For his career, Andersen connected on 565-of-709 (.797 pct.) field goals and 849-of-859 (.988 pct.) extra points for a total of 2,544 points – tops in NFL history.
Andersen joins an impressive list of former "Man of the Year" winners, including Roger Staubach (Navy), Gale Sayers (Kansas), Jim Kelly (Miami), Anthony Muoz (USC) and last year's recipient Dick Butkus (Illinois).
Distinguished American – Len Dawson
Pro football Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson (Purdue) is the recipient of the 2008 Walter Camp "Distinguished American" award. A standout quarterback who also played defense and served as the kicker at Purdue, Dawson was selected in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1957 NFL Draft. In 1962, Dawson signed with Dallas Texans in the American Football League and was named AFL MVP. A year later, the franchise moved to Kansas City and were renamed the Chiefs.
Dawson made his mark as the leader of the Chiefs, leading the team to three AFL titles (1962, 1966 and 1969) and one Super Bowl championship in 1969. Named the Super Bowl MVP, Dawson led the Chiefs to a 23-7 win over the heavily-favored Minnesota Vikings. Dawson was a five-time All-Pro selection and was named to the Pro Bowl seven times. He retired in 1975 after throwing for over 28,700 career yards. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
Past recipients of the Walter Camp Distinguished American honor include nationally-respected sportscaster Pat Summerall (2004), all-purpose television personality Regis Philbin (2003), NBC Sports Executive Dick Ebersol (1996), former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue (1994), world-renowned entertainer Bob Hope (1985), and last year's recipient former coaching standout Frank Broyles.