FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Rimington Trophy Committee is Pleased to Announce its 2015 Finalists

New York, NY – December 2015

The finalists for the 2015 Rimington Trophy, presented to the most outstanding center in college football, are:

Jack Allen, Michigan State

Allen, a 2014 USA TODAY first-team All-American, has played in 47 career games, including 46 starts (41 at center, five at left guard), and has only allowed three career sacks. The co-captain is a two-time All-Big Ten First Team selection and was a semifinalist for National Football Foundation 2015 William V. Campbell Trophy (nation’s top scholar-athlete).

Austin Blythe – Iowa

Blythe, named first team All-Big Ten by league coaches and media, has started 44 consecutive games out of his 48 total played.  Anchoring a team that averaged 32.1 points per a game this season, he has helped lead Iowa to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1990.

Ryan Kelly - Alabama

As senior leader and anchor of the Alabama offensive line, Kelly has made all offensive line calls during his 34 career starts. He has an average grade o 88.4%, including 4 games over 90%. He also has 16 knockdown blocks on the season and has not allowed a sack. During the 2015 season, Kelly was named an Outland Trophy semifinalist, a Campbell Award semifinalist, and named a midseason First Team All-American by USA Today.

The winner of the Rimington Trophy will be presented live during the ESPNU Red Carpet Show on Thursday, December 10, 2015, immediately preceding the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show. Both shows, will originate from the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.

The winner of the Rimington Trophy is selected by determining the consensus All-American center pick from three existing All-America teams. While more than a dozen All-America teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee used these three prestigious teams to determine a winner:

·       Walter Camp Foundation (WCF)

·       Sporting News (SN)

·       Football Writers Association of America (FWAA)

Because the selectors of these three All-America teams can place centers in a "mix" of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11- man first teams can often have two centers. The Rimington Trophy committee's policy is to count all players that play primarily the center position for their respective teams as centers, even though they may be listed as guards or tackles on the four All- America teams.

The center with the most first team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the center with the most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by a majority vote from the Rimington Trophy committee.

The winner will be recognized at the Rimington Trophy Presentation at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday, January 16, 2016. To learn more about the Rimington Trophy or to purchase tickets to the event, please visit www.rimingtontrophy.com.

The Rimington Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 22 awards boast over 700 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about our story. 

About the Rimington Trophy

The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football. Since its inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised over $2.5 million for the cystic fibrosis community. The fifteen-year old award is overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and has raised over $100 million for CF Research. Dave Rimington, the award's namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy's only double winner as the nation's finest college interior lineman. For more on the Rimington Trophy and a list of past recipients, visit www.rimingtontrophy.com

About the Boomer Esiason Foundation

BEF supports the CF community through scholarships, transplant grants, exercise programs, and educational programs as well as donating money to CF research. To date, BEF has raised over $115 million. Please visit Esiason.org to learn more about our programs, teamboomer.org to join the team, and follow us at facebook.com/BoomerEsiasonFoundation and @cysticfibrosis.

About Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis is a rare, inherited, chronic disease that affects the lungs, digestive system, and reproductive system of about 30,000 Americans by causing a thick build-up of mucus that leads to blockage, inflammation, and infection.

Rimington Trophy Media Contact:

Michelle Pelini

mpelini@esiason.org

646.292.7946