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John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List

Photo – TE Dennis Pitta - BYU

Senior tight end Dennis Pitta is one of 30 individuals named to the 2009 John Mackey Award watch list, an award given annually to the most outstanding tight end in Division I-A college football. In addition to demonstrating outstanding athletic prowess on the field, the award also stands for positive sportsmanship-like behavior, good academic standing & exceptional leadership abilities. Pitta, a two-time 1st-team all-Mountain West Conference performer, ranked 3rd in the MWC and 21st nationally with 1,083 receiving yards in 2008. His total receiving yards also ranked 2nd among tight ends in the FBS behind only James Casey of Rice (1,329 yards). Pitta recorded four 100-plus yard receiving games in 2008, including the best single-game performance by a tight end with 213 yards against Northern Iowa on Aug. 30. NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey is considered to be the best to have played the tight end position. A tight end by whom all others are measured, Mackey was a role model on and off the field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to community and his place in history as the first President of the NFLPA.
The John Mackey Award presented since 2001, lists eight NFL players as alumni: Dallas Clark ('01) of the 2006 Super Bowl Champion Colts, two-time Super Bowl Champion Daniel Graham ('02) of the Broncos, Kellen Winslow II ('03) of the Bucs, two-time Super Bowl Champion Heath Miller ('04) of the Steelers, Marcedes Lewis ('05) of the Jaguars, Matt Spaeth ('06) of the of the 2008 Super Bowl Champion Steelers, Fred Davis ('07) of the Redskins and the 2008 John Mackey Award recipient Chase Coffman of the Bengals.
The award recipient is determined by confidential balloting of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee, which is composed of respected members of the media and former NFL players, and will be announced on December 10, 2009.
The 2009 John Mackey Award preseason watch list was released by the Nassau County Sports Commission. Given annually to the best collegiate tight end, the award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee

2009 John Mackey Award Watch List

PLAYER / YR / SCHOOL
Jeffery Anderson - JR - UAB
Jake Ballard - SR - Ohio St
Greg Boone - SR - Virginia Tech
Nate Byham - SR - Pittsburgh
Jeff Cottam - SR - Tennessee
Ed Dickson - SR - Oregon
Richard Dickson - SR - LSU
TC Drake - SR - Kentucky
Charlie Gantt - JR - Michigan St
Riar Geer - SR - Colorado
Garrett Graham - SR - Wisconsin
Jermaine Gresham - SR - Oklahoma
Rob Gronkowski - JR - Arizona
Aaron Hernandez - JR - Florida
Mike Hoomanawanui - SR - Illinois
Blaine Irby - JR - Texas
Jeron Mastrud - SR - Kansas St
Anthony McCoy - SR - USC
Mike McNeil - SR - Nebraska
Tony Moeaki - JR - Iowa
Ryan Moya - SR - UCLA
Logan Paulsen - SR - UCLA
Dennis Pitta - SR - BYU
Andrew Quarless - JR - Penn St
Kyle Rudolph - SO - Notre Dame
Weslye Saunders - JR - South Carolina
Cody Slate - SR - Marshall
Tommy Trott - SR - Auburn
DJ Williams - JR - Arkansas
Ben Wooster - SR - Wake Forest

The John Mackey Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association's official website, www.ncfaa.org.