Blue Hen Quarterback Pat Devlin Named Top 10 Finalist for Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
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November 9, 2010
File Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell
BALTIMORE -- Senior quarterback Pat Devlin, who has led the University of Delaware football squad to an 8-1 record and a national No. 1 ranking, has been selected as one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
The Downingtown, Pa. native (Downingtown West High School) survived the first cut as the list, originally a field of 22, was cut down to 10 recently. Devlin is the only NCAA Division I Football Championship Division player among the finalists.
Named after the man many refer to as the greatest quarterback ever to play the game of football, the prestigious Golden Arm Award is presented annually to the nation’s top senior college quarterback by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. and presenting sponsor, Transamerica, a leading provider of innovative business and personal financial services. An 18-year veteran of the NFL and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Unitas played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville (1951-1954), passing for 3007 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Devlin (at right) has enjoyed an outstanding season thus far in leading Delaware to an 8-1 record heading into this week’s matchup at Massachusetts. The Hens were ranked No. 1 in this week’s American Football Coaches Association FCS Top 25 poll and No. 2 in The Sports Network media poll.
Despite missing one game and all but another to injuries, Devlin has put up impressive numbers, completing 133 of 199 passes for 1,613 yards and seven touchdowns with only one interception. He has guided a Blue Hen offense that ranks No. 2 in the Colonial Athletic Association both total offense and scoring offense and individually ranks 12th nationally in passing rating (145.52) and No. 42 in total offense (208.8 yards per game).
He enjoyed one of his best days of the season in Delaware’s 48-0 win over Towson this past Saturday as he completed 29 of 38 passes for a season-high 318 passes, hitting 10 different receivers for the game. The previous week, he completed 23 of 32 passes for 293 yards and a touchdown in a 17-16 setback to current #2/1 ranked William & Mary. He has posted four 200+ passing games this season and has currently gone 150 straight passes without an interception, the third longest streak in UD history.
Devlin is joined in the final 10 by Andy Dalton of TCU, Nathan Enderle of Idaho, Colin Kaepernick of Nevada, Jake Locker of Washington, Greg McElroy of Alabama, Christian Ponder of Florida State, Ricky Stanzi of Iowa, Tyrod Taylor of Virginia Tech, and Scott Tolzien of Wisconsin.
That list will be cut down to five finalists for the award and, from there, to this year’s winner. A committee of 36 people will select the winner.
The 2010 winner will be presented with the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award on Friday, December 10 at the Tremont Grand Meeting & Banquet Facility in downtown Baltimore. Joining the festivities that evening will be a number of former Baltimore Colts teammates of Johnny Unitas, along with Bill Curry, the architect and builder of Georgia State University football as the program’s first head coach. Curry, an All-Pro center who snapped the ball to two of the game’s legendary quarterbacks – Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas – will deliver the award presentation keynote address.
Since 1987, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award has been presented to some of college football’s greatest quarterbacks, many of whom have gone on to illustrious careers in the NFL. Former winners include Colt McCoy (Texas, 2009), Matt Ryan (Boston College, 2007), Brady Quinn (Notre Dame, 2006), Matt Leinart (USC, 2005), Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003), Carson Palmer (USC, 2002), Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997), and Rodney Peete (USC, 1988).
Other sponsors of the award include: MedStar Union Memorial Sports Medicine, Dunbar Armored, Baltimore’s Tremonts Hotels, HMS Insurance Associates, Inc., Wells Fargo Private Bank, Stanley Black & Decker, Century Engineering, Comcast, The Baltimore Sun Media Group, R2i.ntegrated, Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards, and Weiss PR Associates, Inc.
