Tim Flanders 7th in Payton Voting
12/1/2011 4:02:00 PM | Football
The Sports Network presents and Fathead.com sponsors the award which is presented annually to the top offensive player in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The 2011 season marks the 25th season for the award's presention.
Quarterbacks Chris Lum of Lehigh and Bo Levi Mitchell of Eastern Washington and Indiana State running back Shakir Bell have been invited to the FCS Awards Banquet on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas, for the announcement of the 25th Walter Payton Award.
The national awards banquet will be held on the eve of the FCS Championship Game at the Embassy Suites/Frisco Convention Center. In addition to the Payton Award, the Eddie Robinson Award for FCS coach of the year will mark its silver anniversary and will be presented along with the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the FCS' outstanding defensive player, and the inaugural Jerry Rice Award, which honors the FCS' freshman of the year. The Sports Network also presents and Fathead.com sponsors those three honors.
A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries selected all of the FCS awards.
Flanders, a sophomore from Midwest City, Oklahoma, who has helped lead Sam Houston State to an 11-0 record and a No. 1 national ranking, received 10 first place votes and seven runner-up votes.
The Southland Conference leader in rushing yards and scoring this year, Flanders becomes the six Sam Houston State player to be recognized as a Payton Award finalist. His seventh place finish in the balloting marks the second highest finish in the award standings by a Bearkat.
Quarterback Dustin Long was the Payton Award runner-up in 2004. Quarterback Josh McCown was the seventh place finisher in 2001. Other SHSU finalists were quarterback Chris Chaloupka 13th in 199, quarterback Rhett Bomar 14th in 2008 and running back D. D. Terry 16th in 2006.
"This is an honor, especially since I didn't get onto the watch list until mid-season and had a few games where I finished at halftime," Flanders said. "It was exciting to get 10 first place votes. That's something to look forward to next year. To be associated with an award named for one of the all-time great running backs in football is really something."
In this year's Walter Payton Award balloting, William & Mary senior running back Jonathan Grimes finished fourth, Elon junior wide receiver Aaron Mellette fifth and Towson running back Terrance West was sixth.
Following Flanders in the voting were New Hampshire quarterback Kevin Decker, Bryant running back Jordan Brown, Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault, Murray State quarterback Casey Brockman, Northern Iowa quarterback Tirrell Rennie, Montana State quarterback DeNarius McGhee, Wofford fullback Eric Breitenstein, Appalachian State wide receiver Brian Quick, Delaware running back Andrew Pierce, Liberty quarterback Mike Brown, Southern Utah quarterback Brad Sorensen, Youngstown State running back Jamaine Cook, Idaho State wide receiver Rodrick Rumble, Eastern Kentucky running back Matt Denham and Richmond wide receiver Tre Gray.
"This is a tremendous honor not only for Tim but for our football program," SHSU head coach Willie Fritz said. "We're proud of him. He is just a great representative of our football program, our university and our community."
Flanders leads the Southland Conference in rushing (103.0 yards) and scoring (132 points). He stands No. 2 in the nation in scoring and No. 21 nationally in rushing.
In 21 games as a Bearkat, Flanders already has set or tied eight Sam Houston football records for points, in a season (132), touchdowns in one season (22), touchdowns in one game (5), rushing touchdowns in one season (22), career 100-yard rushing games (13) and most yards rushing by a Bearkat sophomore (1,133).
Flanders' 22 touchdowns and 132 points also are Southland league season marks. Brent Grimes of Central Arkansas set the old marks of 21 and 126 in 2008. Flanders is tied with SHSU's Luther Turner (1987) for the Southland record for most rushing TDs (20) in a season.
Flanders and his Sam Houston State teammates will play host to Stony Brook in the NCAA Division I Playoffs second round game Saturday, Dec. 3, at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium in Huntsville. Kickoff is 2 p.m.
