The Paul Hornung Award

Byron Pringle, Larry Rose III, and Cedrick Wilson Lead Teams to Conference Victories

Louisville, Ky. – November 6, 2017 – Three players who excel on offense and special teams – Byron Pringle (Kansas State), Larry Rose III (New Mexico State), and Cedrick Wilson (Boise State) – earned Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll for the first time this season.

The Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse is given annually by the Louisville Sports Commission to the most versatile player in major college football. The winner of this year’s award and his family will be honored on March 7, 2018, at a banquet presented by KentuckyOne Health at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville, Ky.

Boise State State wide receiver / return specialist Cedrick Wilson led the Broncos to a 41-14 win over Nevada with 157 all-purpose yards receiving, passing, and returning kicks. As wide receiver, he made five catches for 80 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter that proved to be the game-winning score. Wilson also completed two passes for a total of 46 yards on scoring drives and returned two kicks for 31 yards. Boise State is 7-2 overall and 5-0 in the Mountain West Conference Mountain Division.

Kansas State wide receiver / return specialist Byron Pringle led the Wildcats to a 42-35 win over Texas Tech with 199 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, including an 8-yard, game-winning touchdown catch in overtime. In the second quarter, Pringle accounted for 80 total yards in a touchdown drive by returning the kickoff for 41 yards, hauling in a 20-yard reception, and ending the drive with a 19-yard touchdown catch. In total, he had three kick returns for 96 yards, a punt return for 8 yards and six receptions for 95 yards. KSU is 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the conference.

New Mexico State running back / return specialist Larry Rose III touched the ball 27 times three different ways in the Aggies 45-35 road win over Texas State. On offense, Rose carried the ball 19 times for 81 yards and a touchdown, and had four receptions for 84 yards. He accounted for seven first downs rushing and receiving. On special teams, Rose ran back three punts for 19 yards and fair caught two punts. The Aggies are 4-5 on the season and 2-3 in the conference.

The Louisville Sports Commission successfully launched the Paul Hornung Award in 2010 to honor its namesake and native son, and to promote outstanding performances by versatile college football players who often go unnoticed. Previous winners by year are:

• 2010: Owen Marecic of Stanford won the inaugural Paul Hornung Award as a two-way starter and All Pac-10 performer at fullback and honorable mention at linebacker;
• 2011: Brandon Boykin of Georgia won the award as a lockdown, All-American defensiveback who also excelled on offense and special teams;
• 2012: Tavon Austin of West Virginia won the award as one of two players in the nation with more than 500 yards in three different categories (rushing, receiving, and kick returns);
• 2013: Odell Beckham Jr. of LSU won the award after finishing the season ranked second in the nation and first in the SEC with 2,222 all-purpose yards and 185.2 average yards per game;
• 2014: Shaq Thompson of Washington won the award as a two-way player, earning first team All-America honors at linebacker and finishing as the Husky’s second-leading rusher at tailback;
• 2015: Christian McCaffrey of Stanford won in 2015 after amassing 3,496 all-purpose yards with 1,847 rushing, 540 receiving and 1,109 return, breaking Barry Sanders record of 3,250 set in 1988; and
• 2016: Jabrill Peppers of Michigan won the award playing 15 different positions, earning consensus All-America at linebacker, and becoming the first player ever to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the year, Linebacker of the Year, and Specialist of the Year.

Texas Roadhouse signed on as presenting sponsor of the Paul Hornung Award in 2011 and will team with the Louisville Sports Commission to power fan voting again this season. College football fans nationwide will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite player during the regular season and again during the bowl season. Fan voting factors into the selection of the Paul Hornung Award finalists and winner.