by NEW ORLEANS, La. – Baylor senior quarterback Bryce Petty (Chickasaw Nation) has been named a finalist for the Seminole Tribe of Florida Bobby Bowden Award, it was announced Friday. Petty joins Indiana safety Mark Murphy and Ole Miss defensive lineman D. T. Shackleford as finalists.
The award will be presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at the College Championship breakfast on January 11, 2015. The breakfast will be held at the Hyatt Regency Dallas at 8:00 am.
Petty concluded his Baylor career on Jan. 1 at the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, where he threw for a career-high 550 passing yards, setting a Cotton Bowl record in the process. It was the third 500-yard passing game in program history. He extended his own school record with his 16th career 300-yard passing game, and tied Robert Griffin III for the school record with his fourth 400-yard passing game.
With his final game as a Bear in the books, Petty finishes first in the Baylor record books in TD-INT ratio (6.20), first in yards per attempt (9.71), first in interception percentage (.0118), first in total offense yards per play (8.223), second in passing yards (8,195), second in completion percentage (.627), second in total offense (8,528), second in touchdown responsibility (83), second in passing touchdowns (62), and ninth in rushing touchdowns (21).
The Bobby Bowden award recognizes the Football Bowl Subdivision player who epitomizes a student-athlete. He must conduct himself as an exemplary model in the classroom, on the field, on the campus and in the community.
The award is named after former Florida State University head football coach Bobby Bowden. It was conceived by Vince Gibson, a former Bowden assistant at South Georgia College who went on to become head coach at Kansas State, Louisville and Tulane before he passed away in 2012 from Lou Gehrig’s disease; and Vernon Brinson, one of Bowden’s former players at South Georgia College in the 1950s. The Award is sponsored by The Seminole Tribe of Florida.
Past winners:
2003: Jason Wright, Northwestern University
2004: Billy Bajema, Oklahoma State University
2005: D. J. Shockley, University of Georgia
2006: Carl Pendleton, University of Oklahoma
2007: Jacob Tamme, University of Kentucky
2008: Stephen McGee, Texas A&M University
2009: Colt McCoy, University of Texas
2010: Christian Ponder, Florida State University
2011: Case Keenum, University of Houston
2012: Ashton Richardson, Auburn University
2013: Jake Matthews, Texas A&M University
